Naruto Shippuden: Desert Assassin
by Uncommon Guru
Summary: When winds howl, and the forest forsakes them, Konohagakure is scattered by their enemies. As time passes, old bonds fade. In this desert wasteland, Naruto must reunite the clans, face off against a legion of shinobi, and save those he loves. No pressure.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue & the Priest

Alright, I know that right now I'm on crunch time, but since I found out it'll actually take a few weeks before the paperwork I sent in gets back to me, I'm going to at least try putting this idea out before I go. At the most, there'll likely be THREE chapters posted before I leave. They'll be slightly longer then my Word of Honor chapters, but I'll perservere and get what I can done.

Just to inform you all, this is pretty much a complete Author's Universe scenario. I'm going to strip away large chunks of the Naruto universe you all know so well in order to infuse a bit of Arabian Nights and Western into it (those are the closest I can get to describing one of the big changes in how the universe is made up). If you want a character you know and love in the story, shoot me a review with their name, and when I get back to writing it, I'll see what I can do. Be warned however that there will be characters already cut out of the storyline simply for living in a certain place; Kirigakure (you'll get it later). This also means I get to keep a few other characters alive. Please take note of who's dead and who's not, because the dead ain't coming back unless they're caught in a ridiculous situation that they can somehow get out of.

Anyways, enough of me rambling (I can do that in the end). Here's my second story; Naruto: Desert Assassin

* * *

><p>Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I do own this spin off, especially since there's no WAY you could mix this up with the original.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Naruto Shippuden: Desert Assassin<strong>

_Chapter 1: Prologue & the Priest_

Throughout the Shinobi (Ninja) Nations, there were a great deal of legends that spawned as time passed on. From overstatements of peoples abilities to the point of fantasy, to actual stories that no one believed anymore. One such story was the birth of the forest that once surrounded Konohagakure no Sato (Village Hidden in the Leaves). Many believed the forest was likely there since before the birth of the Shinobi Nations, but there was another popular story.

As the story went, after they had gathered together to form Konohagakure no Sato, they elected both Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama to be their first leader. While this led to the cataclysmic battle that formed the Valley of the End, but that had no part in the story of the forest other then the victory of Hashirama.

Senju Hashirama was a powerful man, matched only by Uchiha Madara in power, and had a very special ability. Mokuton (Wood Release), having the ability to create structures of wood, or even trees. Some said it was a bloodline, others a special ability that Hashirama alone could control. Regardless, this ability spawned the legend of the forest.

Believing that the area around Konohagakure was to open, and easily accessible by their enemies, Hashirama performed a feat of titanic proportions; he created a forest that spanned hundreds of miles, and provided a safe haven for the gathered clans. Surely, such a feat was mere overstated mythology. While it only lasted a few decades, the myth grew to such proportions, it simply had to be exactly that; a myth.

And that's what people believed. At least, until the day the forest died.

It happened suddenly, and without warning. During the Second Great Shinobi War, a war spawned by Iwagakure no Sato (Village Hidden in the Stone) attacking Sunagakure no Sato (Village Hidden in the Sand), the battle began to shift in Konoha's favor. The forest made it far too difficult for the opposing forces to attack Konoha directly, as it was meant to, and they were forced to try hit and run tactics. These were insufficient compared to the more direct and powerful blows that Konoha dealt directly to Iwagakure's defenses.

Years later, people speculated it was shortly after Senju Hashirama's death, his chakra no longer there to keep the trees alive. Other believed it was shortly before his death, having lost focus of how he needed to direct his chakra and the forest suffering thus. Regardless of the time, the trees began to degrade rapidly in the time of his death. The forest died, and Konohagakure no Sato was left unguarded against their foes.

Those who remained in Konoha, unaccustomed to fighting in the barren wasteland territory, were subjected to multiple raids that tore the once great village. By the time the shinobi who stood on the 'frontlines' got word of the destruction, it was too late. Unable to support itself, Konoha split itself once more into the various clans that once roamed the nation.

This was considered by Iwagakure no Sato and their allies to be their greatest victory. With Konoha gone, there was no one left to help in the defense of Sunagakure no Sato. Little did they realize how this dramatic change of the landscape would affect them all.

Without the forest to buffer the winds that had once roared across the land, Iwagakure found itself fighting in a loosing battle against the elements. Howling winds turned into raging tornadoes. Unable to efficiently establish a defense against the winds in time, Iwagakure no Sato fell to the powerful forces of Nature. Cursing the winds and Konoha, Iwa too spread and dissolved into obscurity.

In the neighboring village of Kumogakure no Sato (Village Hidden in the Clouds), the new winds affected them as well. However, they were more accustomed to the destructive forces of nature, and endured it far better then their former companions. However, instead of pressing the advantage as they knew they could, they drew back into themselves. For with the destruction and scattering of the clans of Konohagakure, they had been able to catch the members of the Hyuuga's Main House off guard. Whisking them away, they took time to do what they felt was necessary to develop and integrate the bloodline into their village as thoroughly as possible.

Sunagakure no Sato had perhaps the greatest change of time. Their daimyo, a man filled with greed and lusting after the power the other nations once had, took charge of this change and had his samurai and shinobi move forwards. Within months, the lands of Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire), Tsuchi no Kuni (Land of Earth), and the many smaller countries in between were suddenly gone, left only with Kaze no Kuni (Land of Wind).

Across the sea, Mizu no Kuni (Land of Water), and the shinobi village of Kirigakure no Sato (Village Hidden in the Mist), took notice of the destruction and demise of two of the five shinobi superpowers. Knowing that they were safe where they were, they remained where they were. Besides, they had to quickly resolve a dispute that was rising in the ranks of their shinobi regarding those with bloodlines. If they were attacked, they'd need all the sneaky, underhanded tricks they could possibly use. Especially since Sunagakure integrated a great deal of their former foes into their ranks to bolster their forces.

Throughout all of this, several of the scattered clans of the former Konohagakure gathered together. Unable to truly return to their homeland, as it had now be come an arid desert, they formed a new form of alliance similar to that the scattered clans once held with one another. Not truly a village, yet holding many of the same bonds as one had once seen in their once prosperous village.

It was the dawning of the age of the desert. This, perhaps a little over a half a century later, is where our story begins.

**-xxxxx-**

* * *

><p><strong>-xxxxx-<strong>

No wind blew across the sand the day the stranger walked into town. While not an odd occurrence, the man himself was odd; for lack of better description by the townsfolk. He stood a little over five feet tall, with dust covered blond hair that barely poked out from underneath the sides of his grey high-crowned, wide-brimmed hat, with a loose ponytail of excess hair that crawled down to the nape of his neck gave a better view of his hair color. An oversized weathered orange duster hanging loosely over a white shirt, with a pair of loose fitting, faded light brown pants. On his back, he carried a package that seemed far for one to be carrying unless he was a shinobi.

On alert, the people watched as the stranger glanced around as though lost. He gave a few people hesitant glances before finally setting his eyes on a general food store. Almost comically, his stomach began to rumble. Chuckling sheepishly at this, he walked merrily towards the store in search of a meal.

As he ducked into the store, he was immediately aware of the intense stares he was getting from the people already within the store. His eyes slowly swept the room, catching the gaggle of women who would likely spread word of the stranger. Ignoring them, his gaze eventually landed on some of the people closer to him, shifting nervously as they attempted to continue their shopping in peace. With a wide, disarming smile, he tilted the brim of his hat in greeting. "Good morning."

Off to the side, one of the braver young men spoke up. "It's actually afternoon by now."

The stranger raised an eyebrow. "Really?" With a near frantic scramble, he ducked out of the building to stare at the sky. Walking back into the store, he shook his head. "I swore it was still morning. I must've lost track of time again. Ha, no wonder I'm still hungry!"

As if on cue, his stomach let loose a loud rumble. Several people nearby heard this and despite themselves found themselves chuckling.

His grin widening further, he moved further into the store, quickly browsing the isles to see what merchandise they carried. His hands seemed to ghost along the surface of each item, pausing only once in a while to pick up something and turn it over. After spending several minutes browsing, he appeared to sink in on himself. Walking towards the manager, he fell to his knees, his chin hitting the surface of the counter.

The manager, a woman in her mid-thirties, blinked in shock as the young man lay before her. Tilting her head down to see him better, she hesitantly asked, "Can I help you sir?" As she got closer she was surprised to see that beneath the shadow of his hat, tears streamed down his cheeks. "Sir, are you alright?"

The stranger sniffed heavily, his lips pressed together in a pout. "Why is it that no one sells instant ramen anymore?"

The manager frowned, trying to understand what he'd asked. "Um, what's this about ramen?"

In an instant, the tears were gone, replaced by a hesitant gaze as he sprung to an upright position. "Y-you…you don't know what ramen is?" Placing his face into his hands, he let loose a muffled scream. "Log damn it! Why is it everywhere I go no one knows what ramen is? What did I do to deserve this?"

"Sir? I know what ramen is." The manager said tentatively. "I just don't understand what the issue is about finding ramen? It's in the back corner, over there."

Many people around them would later swear they heard a loud snap as he turned towards the indicated corner, so fast was his movement. With a loud shout, he raced to the corner and gripped the first container of ramen he could get his hands on. For a moment, it looked like a sappy love scene; where two lovers saw each other from across the room and leapt into each others arms and just held each other. Only in this case, shortly after the 'lovers' embraced, there was an extremely high pitched scream followed by the stranger falling backwards in a heap. Landing on his pack, several people winced as the pack make a loud bump against the floor.

The manager, seeing him fall, raced to his side. "Sir! Are you alright?"

Slowly, he lifted the packet of ramen into the air. "Why?" With tears streaming down his face, he stared up at the packet. "Why must ramen be so expensive?"

The manager sighed, toeing his pack lightly in a 'get up' motion. "Sir I have a business to run. If you're quite finished…"

"I'll get up, I'll get up. No need to push me." He said, rolling to his stomach and pushing himself to his feet. With a sigh of longing he replaced the ramen onto the shelf. "Goodbye…my darling ramen."

Shaking her head at the strangeness of it all, the manager walked back behind the counter once again. As she began refocusing on her work, she found herself increasingly distracted by the stranger as he moved through her store. Admittedly, he seemed like a nice enough guy, but then again she'd seen several 'nice guys' who turned out to actually be the complete opposite of how they acted. Of course, none of them played the bumbling idiot to quite this extreme. He even did the 'stare at an object in confusion because you have no idea what this is' perfectly.

The stranger turned suddenly, motioning to the object he'd been staring at. "Why the heck do you guys sell hatchets here? I mean, there's no trees, so why have them?"

She blinked in confusion, staring at the hatchet in confusion. When her mind caught up with his question, she realized he was patiently waiting her answer. "Oh! Uh, there are several shipments of wood that come in from time to time from Kaminari no Kuni (Land of Lightning)."

"They have trees?" He asked, his eyes suddenly sparkling lightly. "You mean real, honest to log trees?"

She nodded, taking a small step back. "Uh, yeah. I mean…wait, honest to who?"

Before he could speak, his hand halfway into his duster, as a commotion outside drew their attention to the front of the store. Not waiting for him to answer her question, she strode around her counter again. Letting his head fall and a small sigh escape his lips, he followed after her.

In the street, a team of five Suna shinobi strode through. A small ruckus was caused as several civilians scrambled to get out of their way, causing more attention to be drawn to them. While all eyes fell on them, they ignored everyone, focusing instead on the general food store.

"Hey there Ami." The lead shinobi said, his eyes roaming over her as she stepped out of her store. Seeing her scowling at him, his grin widened. "Aw, what's the matter? Still upset about last time I was in town?"

"You and your team managed to tear bar and half the block on either side of it." Ami muttered, trying to keep her glare. Despite her valiant effort, her eyes quickly fell to the ground. "Why don't you just leave us alone Yuudai?"

Yuudai shrugged, the motion drawing the civilians attention to the two scrolls on his back. While few had seen the actual incident, everyone had heard the rumors of what he had within the scrolls. "I could. But you know what that entails." He ran his hand across her cheek, leaning in closer as he whispered. "It's only for one night. One night with you, and I'll be good."

Ami shrunk in on herself, memories of the last time she'd let Yuudai spend the night with her. She crossed her arms defensively, trying to take a step back. "I told you the last time you came through; I don't wanna do that anymore."

"Well now, that's too back." Yuudai said, slowly pulling away as he continued. "And here me and the boys were going to have a night on the town. Weren't we boys?"

Ami's eyes widened as she noticed the nods of consent from Yuudai's teammates, fear shooting through her heart. Unlike others, she had been there when Yuudai and his team had cut loose on the town. Seeing the aftermath, and seeing their abilities in action were two different levels of terrifying. Her mouth began opening and closing hesitantly, wondering if it would really be worth it; knowing she could've prevented the destruction of people's homes and livelihood if she simply let Yuudai have his one night.

Before she could come to a decision on what to do, another voice cut into their conversation. "As the log takes your place, you become the log. The log becomes you. For a moment, you are an extension of the logs blessing unto ninja."

Yuudai shifted silently, looking past Ami with a curious gaze. "Excuse me?"

The stranger smiled lightly, motioning to a book he held in his hands. "Ah, Chronicle of the Replacement. No matter how many times I read it, I always find it's most satisfying when you read it out loud in front of a shinobi." He slowly turned the page, sighing contently. "Then again, it's fun to read anything in front of a shinobi nowadays."

"Excuse me?" The larger member of Yuudai's team asked, stepping forward in a rather threatening manner.

Unperturbed, the stranger smiled up at the larger man. "Shinobi are strong, but when faced with and unknown philosophy they stay close to what they know. They lose that flexibility that makes them dangerous."

Yuudai, noting the way his teammate was beginning to go red in the face, stepped between him and the stranger. "Those are some powerful words for someone as young as you." Taking a moment to look him over, he frowned. "I don't think I've seen you in town before."

"I'm just passing through."

"Ah, that would be understandable. This isn't exactly the sort of place I'd settle down in either." Yuudai replied, his eyes wandering back to Ami. "Well, not for long."

"Oh no, it's nothing like that." The stranger replied, shutting his book gently and slipping it back into his duster. "I'm a member of the Book of Log, a priest in fact. It's my duty to ensure that the Log is remembered."

"Really?" Yuudai chuckled, motioning to the desert around them. "How much success are you having thus far?"

"Depends on who I'm talking to. Some take it, while others reject it. But no matter what, as long as a few words are said, they'll be remembered by someone, and they will learn the truth." The stranger said, exposing his teeth in a wide grin.

The grin caused Yuudai to pause, his eyes focused on the young man's larger then average canines. "Really now. And…you said you were a priest, in this 'log' business?"

"Yep! I'd be higher, but I haven't been able to find a young log to bring back with me, to prove my worth to my village. Yet."

Yuudai's frown deepened, but he said nothing in the manner of voicing his concerns. Taking a moment, he turned to his team. "We're heading to the hotel."

The only woman of the group who stood next to the larger man stepped forwards, obviously rather displeased by her leader's choice of action. "Yuudai-senpai, surely you aren't going to simply– "

"I said we're leaving Kin." Yuudai said, his voice now a strained hiss. Moving his hands subtly, he motioned them to follow him. With waiting for anyone to question him further, he moved past them. Sparing the stranger one final glance, the rest of his team quickly scurried after Yuudai.

The entirety of the village that had stood by and watched the scene unfold turned to the stranger with wide eyes. Ami, who stood closest to him, gave him another once over with now fresh eyes. "Who are you?"

"Who me? I'm just a priest of the Book of Log. If you want my name, you can call me Uzumaki Naruto." The stranger said cheerily, pulling off his hat and making a grandiose bowing motion. As he remained in his bow, his stomach suddenly let loose a loud rumble, causing him to fall flat on his face. "And right now, I'm really hungry."

Everyone stared down at him with a look of disbelief and with a large tear-like drop of exasperated sweat coming down the back of their heads. How he'd managed to get Yuudai to walk away from a confrontation whereas he would have normally would have killed a person he thought had insulted him before they had a chance to do so a second time. Certainly, this 'Naruto' was a strange stranger indeed.

**-xxxxx-**

"Ah! Now that hits the spot!" Naruto said contently, patting his stomach lightly.

It was a little over an hour after the incident in the streets, and Ami had taken Naruto to a nearby bar to get a quick bite to eat. Despite it being a rather small meal, Naruto acted like someone who hadn't eaten anything in weeks. As he ate, he continually praised the cooks who made his meal, something that got him many looks of gratitude from said cook.

Ami, who sat beside him as he finished his meal, simply stared in silence. As he ate the last of his food, and noticed the staring, Naruto finally began taking notice of her look. "Uh, do I have something on my face?"

Ami shook her head, her eyes attempting to face Naruto's. Now faced with Naruto's own bright blue eyes, she found herself looking away as she bit her lip. "I was just wondering…what-what is the Book of Log?"

Naruto's reached his hand into his duster, whipping out the book he'd had during his confrontation with Yuudai. "I'm glad you asked. _This_ is the Book of Log."

Handing the book to her, she inspected it carefully. It was made in a rather unusual manner; a rather thick, box shaped piece of leather covered the book, which seemed more like several pamphlets tucked together for convenience. On the leather, in crude handwriting, was written the words 'Book of Log', with another strange symbol that looked like a short spiral with a point coming off of the edge away from where the spiral curved away from itself. Peeking inside, she was amused to find several different types of bookmarks poking out the sides where Naruto had marked certain passages.

Curious, she began flipping through and skimming a few verses for herself. "Why is it in such a bad condition?"

"It was my fathers, before he died."

Startled, Ami tore her eyes away from the book with a look of sympathy. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

Naruto shrugged, leaning into his chair idly. "It looked more organized when he had it. His friends used to tell me he'd memorized nearly every important passage there was to know in the book. Me? Ha, I got my mom's memory. Nothing I read stays in my head."

Naruto tapped the side of his head, a surprisingly loud hollow noise echoing as he did so. Ami smiled at Naruto's antics, slowly closing the book and handing it back to him. "I'm sure she must be proud of the man you've become."

Naruto opened his mouth as though to retort, when it snapped shut, a shiver running across his face. "Yeah, I suppose you could say that."

Curious, but not wishing to prod, Ami sighed and let it go. Still, there was something about his gaze that bothered her. An odd sort of memory that seemed to surface in his eyes before it was violently squashed.

Tapping his fingers against the wood of the counter, Naruto slowly leaned forward. "So, Kaminari no Kuni has trees?"

"Um, yes." Ami said, grateful for the change of topic to something more pleasant that she knew more about. "If it hadn't been for the treaty the daimyo's made about fifteen years ago, this town would have been far more desolate. While sand structures are good, and simple to make in places like Sunagakure, and Sakyuu Pagoda where shinobi are trained and can make them on site. Here though, it takes far long unless we contract out to shinobi to come help us. And their services aren't cheap enough for everyone."

Naruto gave a small nod, his tapping increasing slightly as he began to understand a bit more. "So that's what Yuudai and his friends are here for? They're here to fix up the buildings?"

Ami nodded, her grip on the book tightening almost indistinguishably. "There are some shinobi who've contracted out to be full time building inspectors for villages all over the desert. It's safer money, and is great for those who love traveling. For those of us who live in these little villages, they're all the support we're likely to get from shinobi."

"Okay." Naruto muttered, scratching his neck with his other arm. "While that would explain why they're here, that doesn't explain why everyone's so nervous around them."

Ami grimaced, closing the book and setting it on the counter as she turned away. "Whenever they come through, they all ask for something they want. The last time they came through, we didn't give them it. We promised to pay them in full for whatever damages there were before they'd arrive, and then we wanted them gone." Gritting her teeth together, she hissed out the rest as the memory of what had happened drifted through her mind. "When they'd completed their job, they went to the bar and got drunk. By the next morning, over a dozen homes and businesses were destroyed, and none of them were in sight. We've had to make due with what we could, but for some, that's become very little."

Naruto sighed, feeling a twinge of sympathy for the plight of the village. Slowing his tapping to a stop, he silently cursed his conscience. "When do they normally get done repairing the village?"

"Just before dusk, always before dusk." Ami answered, unaware of the glint in Naruto's eyes. Rubbing her forehead lightly, she began rummaging through her pockets. Right when she was about to pull out some money to pay for the meal, she realized she didn't have enough money to pay for the food. With a sheepish look, she glanced at the bartender. "I-I can't pay for it right now. If you'll give me just a moment, I'll –"

"It's on the house this time." The bartender said, picking up a spare glass to wipe down.

The bar went silent for a second as several others who'd heard him gave curious looks. Ami herself seemed awestruck. "I –you –"

"Just go with it before I change my mind." He said with a hiss, glancing from Ami to Naruto.

Before either could say anything, the doors to the bar were opened with a loud clacking noise as someone entered. All eyes turning to the doors, many flinched away as Yuudai and his team strolled in.

Naruto ignored their grandiose entrance, sipping on his drink and keeping his head down to avoid trouble, shadowing his face as much as he could with his hat. Knowing his luck though, he'd likely get drawn into whatever was going to happen anyways. He swore it was the Log trying to have a sense of humor about his life.

"Huh, this place never seems to need repairs, does it?" Yuudai said, motioning to the bar around him. Seeing Ami at the counter, he smirked. "Ah, hello Ami-chan."

"Hey Yuudai, what's up?" Naruto asked, spinning in his seat to face Yuudai – effectively coming between Yuudai and Ami.

Yuudai frowned, turning his gaze to Naruto. "Hello again stranger." Turning to the bartender, he spoke sharply. "Give me a bottle of sake."

"You still need to pay your tab from your previous visits." The bartender replied coolly, unwavering as he made no motion to get Yuudai's sake.

The woman in Yuudai's team stepped forwards, a scowl marring her features as she leaned across the table. "After all we've done for this village, you want to start holding out on a few simple drinks now?"

"I'm running a business, not a charity. If you want to ask for a drink, you'll need to pay for it or do something of worth the price of what you ordered."

"Ah, but I wasn't asking now was I?" Yuudai replied, motioning to the larger man.

Before he could move however, Naruto stepped off his seat and took a step forwards, once again placing himself in the center of the conflict. "Hey now, there's no need to threaten anyone!" The larger man's face remained blank as he looked down on Naruto, his hand clenched tightly into a fist. Naruto ignored the obvious threat as he turned to the bartender. "Just put it on my tab. I promise, I'll pay you back before I leave."

Before the bartender could say anything to Naruto about his offer, the larger man reared his fist back and slammed it into Naruto's head. Naruto went face first into the floor, breaking several floorboards in the process. Without waiting to see if he'd get up from the strike, the larger man brought his hands together and dropped them in a hammer fist onto the middle of Naruto's back; further destroying more of the floorboards as he began to strike him repeatedly. Throughout the entire beating, no one from within the bar so much as moved; watching with pained expressions as while they desired to help, none of them were willing to risk life and limb to save a stranger.

To the side, Yuudai watched in a disinterested manner as the blows became harder and harder. Finally, figuring that enough was enough, he placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "I think he's dead now Hiro."

Hiro took a shaky breath, his anger still at a boiling point. Calming himself, he gave a curt nod to Yuudai. "Forgive me senpai, my anger got the best of me."

"It's fine Hiro, just don't let it happen again." Yuudai replied, turning back to the bartender. "Now, I do believe he offered to put that bottle on his tab?"

The bartender seemed to mull over his options for a moment before he grabbed a bottle and threw it to Yuudai. Before it reached him, the woman snatched it from the air with a greedy grin. Popping the top and taking a quick swig of the alcoholic beverage, she gave Naruto a little kick. "Thanks stranger!"

Yuudai glanced to Ami, his eyes conveying his silent desire and threat. Ami turned away, feeling nausea overcome her as Yuudai and his team left. She knew what her decision would have to be now; there was no way she could let him destroy any more of their town simply because she was reluctant to let him have his 'small request'.

Before she, or anyone else, could move to take Naruto's corpse out, they were startled to find him pushing himself to his feet. Grumbling as he dusted himself off, Naruto rolled his shoulders to check for damage. "Man that guy hits like a girl. And all the girl's I know hit hard!" Staring up at the ceiling, Naruto spoke with a disgruntled tone. "Why do you love torturing me so?"

"Uzumaki-san!" Ami said, dropping to her knees by Naruto's side. Looking him over critically, she was surprised to find that despite the obvious damage he should have taken from Hiro's strikes, there were only a few scratches that lightly marred his body. "How – how is this possible?"

"When you have girls who are likely to burst into fits of spontaneous violence over every little thing you do, you learn how to take a hit." Naruto replied, rubbing the middle of his back where the hardest blow had fallen. "Still hurts, but I'm pretty sure I'll live."

Ami simply stared, trying to voice how ridiculous he sounded at the moment. The last person she'd seen fall into the path of Hiro's anger – granted, he was a far older man then Naruto – had every bone in his spine and chest broken. The worst part had been the fact that he hadn't done enough internal damage to be fatal until he'd suffered for over an hour. Seeing Naruto brush it off…

"Are you a shinobi?" Ami asked hesitantly.

Naruto stuck his pinky in his ear, looking around for his hat. "What ever gave you that idea?"

"No one has matched Hiro in terms of strength, no one from our town at least." Ami replied.

Naruto shot her a deadpanned look as he picked up his hat. "I just told you the girls I know hit harder then him. What kind of shinobi with any respect would let himself get beat up by a shinobi who isn't strong enough to at least break something other then the floor?"

Ami mulled over his answer, agreeing that it would be rather odd for a shinobi to simply allow someone to beat him when he was fully capable of defending himself. "Ah, I guess you're right. I'm sorry for troubling you." Glancing up at the clock, she cursed loudly as she scrambled to her feet. "I've gotta get back to my shop. I'm sorry we couldn't talk more Uzumaki-san."

Naruto nodded, giving her a dismissive smile and wave. As she raced out of the bar, Naruto turned to the bartender with a far more serious look in his eyes. "What do you need?"

The bartender raised an eyebrow. "Well aren't you jumpy? Why the hurry to pay off your debt?"

Naruto glanced to where Ami had left, a flicker of a foreign emotion crossing his face. "I've only got 'til around midnight before I have to move on."

"Good thing what I need done only needs to happen a little after sundown. A shinobi like you should be able to pull it off, given the right circumstances."

Returning his gaze to the bartender, he frowned. "I never said I was a shinobi."

"You never denied it either." The bartender replied.

A wry grin slowly spread across Naruto's face. "I suppose that's true." Grabbing his book and stuffing it back into his duster, he gave the man a short nod. "Thanks for the meal."

The bartender sighed. "Just get the job done."

Without another word, Naruto placed his hat back on his head and walked out. Far from the confused expression he'd worn when he'd entered the town earlier, his gaze was sharp. Already knowing where Yuudai and his team were headed he began the slow stroll towards their hotel. The sun was just touching the shadowed ridge of the mountains in the distance, signaling sunset. Within the hour, he would be on duty once more.

"And the people spoke to the shinobi of the desert, 'We stand by the log, and the log by us. Allies we have been, allies we are, and allies we will be; even when the world turns to the very sand you see before you, the log will hear.'" (_Book of Log, Redwood Journals Verses 13-14_)

**-xxxxx-**

Hiro sat before Yuudai, his expression taunt as he recalled what he'd been told. "You truly believe he's from one of the scattered clans?"

"I'm almost assured of it." Yuudai replied, pacing back and forth in front of Hiro with an expression of disgust. "The problem with the old clans is that it's impossible to know which were of the former bloodlines, and which were the common shinobi who simply had family jutsu without fighting them to determine which clan they come from." Turning back to Hiro, he scowled. "And you've now made it impossible to approach him on neutral terms."

"Forgive me senpai, I didn't know." Hiro said, bowing his head before Yuudai to the point it nearly touched the floor. As his head remained there a thought came to his mind. "Senpai, you speak as though you believe we will meet him again."

"Of course we'll meet him again." Yuudai scoffed. "He's from a clan after all; they wouldn't let him go out until he was trained enough to hide from our scouts and be capable of fending for himself should it come to that. Otherwise, we would have captured, killed, or integrated the remainder of the clans into our forces."

Slowly lifting himself back into a seated position, Hiro frowned in further thought. "How skilled do you suppose he is?"

"I'd say he's at least where we'd rank our chunin." Yuudai replied, coming to a halt in his pacing as he thought over the stranger. Something about the young man seemed to strike him as being off, but no matter how he thought of it, he couldn't place his finger on the cause.

"Senpai, would you like me to call Momoji, Haku or Kyo in to speak to you?" Hiro asked, already certain of his answer.

"No, that'll be all. I'm certain I'll be…busy later." He gave Hiro a sharp glance. "Make sure I remain undisturbed."

"Of course senpai." Hiro said, giving one last bow before he left the room.

Unlike Yuudai, Hiro was not calm enough to pull off many of the subtle manipulations Yuudai did. For the most part, he found himself impressed by the fact that Yuudai could take anything, whether it was his own outburst, or something as trivial as a bottle of sake, and blow it into such epic proportions that people would begin backing down before thinking of doing anything. Fear was his greatest weapon in controlling the populace of many cities.

The fact he was a jonin ranked shinobi of Sunagakure was helpful too.

As he rounded the corner to his room, he paused in front of Kyo's room. While Kyo was not a man of habit, he did have one or two things that he did consistently in every town they went to. One of the things that caught his attention now was the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the handle of his door; something Kyo would never place on his door. He figured if someone wanted to disturb him, it was his duty to drop whatever he was doing and get whatever was needed done quickly so he could return.

Cautiously, Hiro cracked his door open and peaked inside. To his surprise, the room appeared to be completely unoccupied by anyone. The only thing that would have suggested otherwise, from Hiro's limited vision, was the scroll on Kyo's nightstand that held all the equipment he ever used. His trepidation rising, he slowly pushed the door open and walked in.

Immediately upon entering the room, the years of shinobi training to hone his senses to threats kicked into high gear. Across the wall on the far side of the room was a short line of blood that appeared to sink back into the bathroom. Taking a step back, he reached into his equipment pouch to pull out the scroll that held his weapon of choice.

Before he could reach into his pouch, another hand gripped his wrist and yanked in further behind his back and shoved his arm upwards. Caught off guard, Hiro opened his mouth to let loose a howl of pain; his hopes that the noise would be enough to alert his comrades to his plight. Before a noise could leave him, he felt a pressure on the back of his knee which was followed quickly by a rag being shoved into his mouth.

Falling to his knees and his screams muffled, Hiro knew better then to simply give up without a fight. Pulling his arm free, he attempted to put his hands together to begin forming hand seals. Before he could complete the short string of hand seals required, a pair of hands gripped across his forehead and under his chin. Realizing his assailants plan, he attempted to turn his neck in the opposite direction that his head was about to be turned. As he did so, he felt his neck continue on the path he'd begun turning it until with a loud pop he knew no more.

Holding him for a moment, double checking on what his life signs were, Naruto let Hiro fall onto his face with a dull thud. Gripping Hiro's oversized hand, he yanked him back into the room to hide him from the rest of his companions. Panting at the exertion, he froze as he heard the click of a door from across the room.

Haku, roused from her light slumber by the commotion she'd heard outside her door, took a peek outside of her door. Glancing from left to right, she was startled to hear something coming from Kyo's room. Opening the door further, she stepped out. "Kyo, I swear if you're messing around with your sword again, I'm gonna –"

In mid rant, the door to Kyo's room was flung open and Naruto bolted out. A kunai attacked to a spring-loaded rope slid out of his sleeve and into the palm of his hand. Before Haku had even realized she was under attack, Naruto had buried the kunai into her throat and moved her back into her room.

Naruto muttered a string of curses under his breath as he pulled his kunai from Haku's throat. He'd only wanted to take out Yuudai, and yet somehow he'd wound up taking out three of the four members of his team.

"What's going on out there?"

Naruto rolled his eyes, not recognizing the voice as Yuudai's. Sidling up to the still open door, he waited.

His patience was soon rewarded as the final member of Yuudai's team wearily stumbled past him. "Are you guys drinking all the sake without me again? I swear, it won't get weird like that one time."

Naruto, seeing his opportunity, rushed forwards. Gripping the back of the man's neck, he gripped it so that it would tilt his head to face the ceiling. Kunai still in hand, he quickly brought it through the bottom of his jaw into his head. The man's eyes widened momentarily in surprise before they slowly began clouding over as the life began to leave him.

With another yank, the man fell from Naruto's hands to the floor. Naruto looked between the man and his four companions to the hallway. "I'm so not cleaning this up."

Stalking down the hall, Naruto darted from shadow to shadow, peaking out from time to time to make sure that his target hadn't heard him. Unnoticed up until now, he grew somewhat bolder, crawling to Yuudai's door. Seeing the door slightly open already, he shuffled himself to the side until he saw a shadow pass in front of the door.

Through the little crack, he saw Yuudai pacing on the other side of the room; just enough room between him and the window behind him to prevent Naruto from knocking them both to the ground below. Still, "Yeah right, there's no way this is that easy."

In the room, Yuudai paced back and forth, trying to think of a way to get the stranger to come to him. As he rolled on the heel of his foot to shift to the other direction, his door swung open and Naruto rushed in. His eyes widened in a startled expression as Naruto drove his blade just under the left side of his ribs. As Naruto pushed though, the blade made the sound of metal on wood, rather then metal through flesh. Naruto, expecting more weight from Yuudai, plowed forwards, pushing Yuudai and himself through the window and down several stories to the ground below.

In the streets below, Ami slowly strode towards the hotel she knew Yuudai was staying in. She hadn't changed her dress, knowing that it wouldn't matter how she dressed for Yuudai's sick perversion. Wincing at the memory, she took a deep breath to fortify herself. This breath served her better to scream as two bodies crashed in front of her; one disappearing almost immediately after, while the other bounced lightly.

Ami stumbled backwards, tripping over her own feet and falling to the ground as she attempted to get away from whatever had fallen. Frozen in her now prone position, she could only watch as the one who'd remained slowly picked himself back up, his joints popping as they rolled back into place. What was left of the air in her lungs was stolen away a moment later as the 'man' before her spun his head around to face her. Half of his face was made of sand that was slowly breaking off to reveal the other half; a puppet. Yuudai's specialty.

A shadow dropped beside the puppet, Ami's breath slowly coming back as she recognized Yuudai's form. Yuudai however, didn't appear to share the same sentiment as he launched his right hand forward. From each finger, a strand of chakra launched out and attached itself to Ami's still form. As he yanked his arm back, her attached by chakra strings, the nauseous feeling returned.

"Where did he go?" Yuudai hissed, Ami almost nose to nose with him as he glared at her with a blind rage. When Ami didn't immediately respond, he gave her a harsh shake. "Ami!"

Ami gasped for breath, the oppressive feeling of Yuudai's killing intent washing over her. "I-I-I don't know! H-he just disappeared!"

"Like hell he just got up and walked away! Where is he?" Yuudai shouted, focusing his chakra strings around her neck.

Slowly, the world around her began to fade to black, lack of oxygen beginning to force her into unconsciousness. Before she could simply fade away into the oblivion of unconsciousness, and potentially death, a kunai dropped between her and Yuudai. Scowling at the object, he released Ami from his hold as he pulled a second scroll and unfurled it.

"Pretty brave fighting a civilian, aren't you?" A voice echoed through the darkened streets. While there was enough light to see, only the slightest slivers of the sun remained over the peak of the mountains. Enough light to cast a plethora of shadows.

Yuudai's eyes darted around, his hand on the center of his scroll. The element of surprise had always been the deal breaker in any and every fight he'd ever fought. Then again, he'd never fought anyone quite like this before.

Every few seconds, a small shadow shifted just within the corner of his gaze. As soon as he'd shift to see the one shadow, another would quickly flirt past his vision. A chill ran down his spine as he felt a light breeze brush against the back of his neck. When he turned around though, there was nothing in his sight.

"And you're any better?" Yuudai asked, his mind racing as he thought of a plan.

"I'm fighting a shinobi." Naruto whispered, his voice echoing all around Yuudai.

The sound of someone falling to the ground broke the mysticism Yuudai felt had been placed upon him. Channeling chakra into his scroll, a giant scorpion-shaped puppet emerged. Connecting his strings to the puppet, he sent it after the one who made the noise.

Naruto stumbled out of the alley where he'd fallen, a dazed look in his eyes. Grinning in triumph, Yuudai maneuvered his hands to unlatch a senbon launcher hidden within the puppet's mouth. With a flick of his left middle finger, the launcher activated, spraying a burst of poison laced senbon at Naruto. Just as the puppet's weapons were nearly upon him though, his eyes widened and he disappeared in a plume of smoke.

"Looking for me?"

Yuudai spun around, his puppet scurrying to his side, clacking wildly as its two sickle-like pincers whipped around Yuudai defensively. While he didn't immediately see Naruto, he noticed a small movement from above him. Slowly looking upwards, he found himself startled to find that Naruto was standing in his room, waving down at him with only a large grin visible beneath his hat.

"Did you miss me?" Naruto asked cheerily. Instead of getting a verbal answer, Naruto ducked back into the room, a wave of senbon narrowly missing him. "I guess not."

"Why don't you stop hiding and face me face-to-face?" Yuudai asked, his scorpion puppet slowly drawing back its senbon launcher, a second hidden weapon moving in to replace it.

"No thanks. I don't really don't like puppets, they're too annoying." Naruto replied, mentally going over the few supplies he had. While there was always the simplest of items – kunai, shuriken, wire, etcetera – there was one other thing he had hidden away that he could use. Dropping his pack from his shoulders, he began rummaging about to pull it out.

Yuudai smirked, having pinpointed where Naruto's voice was most likely coming from in the room. Pulling his right middle finger into the palm of his hand, the weapon letting out a hiss as the chakra he sent through to fuel it launched a small ball covered in rectangular strips of paper that in turn were covered in some writing.

The ball thumped lightly as it rolled within the room. Naruto had a moment to notice the ball and recognize it before the entire room was engulfed in a giant explosion. With his bag loosed, he was able to whip around and shield himself as the explosion rushed in on him.

At the bottom of the building, Ami slowly began rousing from her state of unconsciousness. As she gazed around, her mind slowly began to piece together what had happened before she'd passed out. As she slowly turned to Yuudai, her gaze soon passed by to the building in flames. "What have you done?"

Yuudai rolled his hands, moving his puppet to circle around him. "What have I done? I've performed by civic duty as a shinobi, and taken care of an assassin. It would've been nice to bring him in alive, but there are so many issues that would bring up." Yuudai stroked the top of the puppets head, giving Ami a look out of the corner of his eye. "Like endangering the people here."

"Yes, you could endanger them. I'd like to think that throwing explosives around would do better job of that then me though."

Yuudai paused in mid stroke, his teeth gritted tightly together. Ami on the other hand was far more loose-lipped. "Uzumaki-san?"

"And you people continue to mock the log." Naruto said, stepping out of the flames. Despite being a bit singed, he looked to be remarkably fine. In his hand though, the item of his defense was not quite as lucky. "Excerpt of the log number one-three-two; and the usage of the log to defend against an explosion shall be permitted, provided one follows excerpt four-three-seven in penance should the shinobi be able to avoid the explosion without the use of the log." A wide grin crossed his face as he held the log in his hand by a thick knot that stuck out just enough to fill a little over half his palm. "I'm pretty sure that counted as a life or death situation."

Yuudai felt a small twitch in his hands, the desire to see Naruto dead rising quickly. Moving his hand in a quick intricate dance, he launched his puppet towards Naruto. "Die!"

In response to the charge, Naruto launched himself at the puppet. Pulling his arm back, log in hand with a layer chakra encasing it, he brought it down hard on the puppet's head. Unlike the log, the puppet was not reinforced and under the crushing force of Naruto's log. Spinning with the blow, Naruto rolled to his feet in a crouch. Before he could slide through the epic finale he'd planned, he was forced to bring his attack to a screeching halt when Yuudai reattached his strings to Ami and yanked her in front of himself.

Seeing that Naruto wasn't going through with his attack, Yuudai smirked. "Alright, that's good." Pulling a kunai from the pouch strapped to his hip, he laid it lightly on Ami's throat. "Drop your…your weapon. And don't make any funny movements."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, slowly setting the log next to his feet. Keeping his arms away from where normal shinobi hid their weapons, he took a slow step to the side. "You know, a lot of people don't get some of the deeper meanings of the log."

Yuudai pressed his knife tighter against Ami's neck. "Don't move!"

"Some people think the message is self sacrifice or some mumbo jumbo like that." Naruto continued, his step growing shorter, but never stopping. "What those people really don't get though, is that the whole thing behind the log is about having someone constantly around to help back you up."

Yuudai scoffed. "Oh yeah? And how is a log going to save her?"

Naruto shook his head, a dark smile crossing his face. "I said that's the lesson that's supposed to be taught. I never said the log was the only way to apply it."

For a brief second Yuudai simply looked on in confusion. Then, his face morphed into a grimace of pain as a blade was planted in the collarbone of his arm that wasn't holding the blade. Before he could carry out his threat of killing Ami, a second figure launched out from the shadows and removed the kunai from his grasp. Naruto watched as Yuudai was separated from Ami, his eyes never leaving him. The two figures threw Yuudai away from themselves, having removed the few weapons they could find and remove as quickly as possible. When he caught himself, Yuudai found himself faced with something he hadn't expected. _Three_ Naruto's.

"That's, that can't be possible." Yuudai muttered, eyes wide as he began backing away. "That technique…that technique is –"

"Jonin level. I know." Naruto said with a small smirk. Twisting his left wrist slightly, he caught the small, three blade shuriken that slid into his palm. "Now, since I'm a good sport, I'll give you to the count of ten. One."

Yuudai turned, frantically scrambling in a desperate attempt to get out of town. He had to inform the nearest Suna shinobi, to tell them he'd discovered one of the lost clan members. To tell them –

"Ten." Naruto muttered. Without waiting for any words of indignation or startle shouts, Naruto flicked his wrist and sent the shuriken flying rapidly towards Yuudai. Yuudai made the mistake of looking back when he heard the sound of the shuriken racing towards him. This gave the shuriken just a few more seconds to catch up.

Naruto didn't watch as the shuriken struck into the back of Yuudai's head. The sound alone gave him all the information he didn't want to know. Motioning to his two counterparts, he motioned them off. "Collect their stuff, and bring the bodies. Remember to pack only what I need and can use." They both nodded, giving a small salute before running off. Seeing them going to their own duties, he turned to where Ami had fallen to the ground. She stared up at him with wide eyes, confusion and betrayal flirting through her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"He…is he really gone?" She asked quietly.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, he's gone now. It's all over."

Ami wrapped her arms around her waist tightly, trying to glance towards his body discreetly. "What-what are you going to do now?" She suddenly shrunk in on herself as she peaked up at Naruto with a curious expression. "I thought you said you weren't a shinobi."

"I never said that." Naruto said smoothly. Turning back to the hotel he and Yuudai had wrecked he groaned. "And, since I really don't want to draw attention, I'll dispose of the bodies." Kneeling in front of her, he tapped her forehead gently. "They came and left. If anyone asks, no one knows anything, and it's going to stay that way, alright?"

Ami slowly nodded. Picking himself, his log, and his hat off the ground, he smiled brightly despite the situation. As the other Naruto's returned with the bodies and equipment, Naruto turned to leave. Before he picked up Yuudai's body, Ami called out. "Who are you really? Are you a shinobi, or not?"

There was a moment of silence as Naruto stood in thought. With a sad smile, he picked up Yuudai's body and slung it over his shoulder. Giving Ami a brief glance he spoke in a voice barely above a whisper. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto; just your average wandering priest, who's looking for the few people willing to lend an ear."

* * *

><p>AN: And this is the Naruto part. I'll have to overtime to get the other two chaptersintroductions to the other (four or five?) main characters.

This felt a bit rushed, but I want this to at least have the start ready to go so I won't forget that this thought ever came into my head. I swear though, no more listening western music while watching a subbed episode of Naruto (unless it's for inspriation). I swear, listening to that western whistly theme from The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly while watching Gaara fight Deidara was one of the hilights of my day when this story decided to pop into my head. That, and no more watching old Disney movies to see how they screwed those stories up (Percy Jackson and the Olympians...enough said).

Next time on Desert Assassins; _The Arsonists._


	2. Chapter 2: The Arsonists

I'd like to thank TorrentJ, HypoSoc, and Chewie Cookies for reviewing my first chapter. Especially HypoSoc, who didn't really review so much as they gave me a quote to add to the Book of Log to use later. Seriously, it was awesome! If you have 'Book of Log' snippets you want to see added, feel free to send them to me so I can sneak them in.

This story chapter came a bit too easy for me, and I'm a bit concerned that once I hit my third chapter, I'm going to want to go further. Lucky for me, Word of Honor calls to me, so I'm going to have to jump back to it to get a bit more. It's definitely intresting writing this story though, seeing as I'm writing about more for these chapters then I am for my normal Word of Honor chapters...so far.

Anyways, now it's time for chapter two. Enjoy.

* * *

><p>Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Naruto Shippuden: Desert Assassin<strong>

_Chapter Two: The Arsonists_

"This is a terrible idea."

"It's the best chance we've got at the moment, and you know it. If you have a legitimate concern, tell me so I don't walk into this blindly and end up getting slapped in the face for this later. Otherwise, just shut up and follow my lead."

"I'm just saying, we have no idea if we can trust these people. You've heard the stories, we won't last a moment if they want us dead."

Two men walked slowly down the beaten path; one walking with a portrayed confidence in his gait with a case swinging freely in his hands, the other was partly hunched over and clutching a case of his own as his head darted about nervously every couple of moments. Despite the nature of their visit, they couldn't help but notice the nobility of the area around them. It looked like a modified feudal building, slightly smaller, and with a few more entrances then there might normally be. Or exits if one looked at it in that light. In all, it was a lovely setting, for the dark deal they planned on making.

And then there were the people; all of which bore a familial resemblance. Dark hair was predominant, although there were several other people who had lighter colored hair of some sort. Their eyes on the other hand, were all entirely similar; a dark black onyx that reflected nothing, giving away no emotion as they watched the two men walked by. For the second man, it did not comfort him at all.

"This is really starting to freak me out Jio. I really, _really_ don't think this is a good idea." He muttered

"Don't worry so much." The first man –Jio– said cheerily, giving several people they passed a short nod or a wave. "I mean, there won't be anything to trace us here, and this place is so close by, our wives will never find out. Nothing could possibly get us in trouble if we got caught, so just relax and let's get going."

The second man nodded slowly, his eyes still darting around suspiciously. While a few people gave him a cool glare, there were plenty of others who laughed lightly at his suspicious gaze. Obviously he wasn't the first person to come through with such nervousness.

As the approached the steps to the main building, one of the members raced in front of them to bar their path. Giving them a quick once over, he frowned as he spoke. "Please state your business."

Jio, already knowing this would happen, held his case in front of himself. "We're here to speak business with your clan head."

The man eyed the case for a moment before taking a step to the side. "You may enter." Narrowing his eyes slightly, he made sure to quickly add, "Be warned that we'll be watching you. If you try anything, we'll know."

Jio gave the man a small smile. "Thank you for the warning. I'd expect nothing less."

Walking through the doors, Jio's friend glanced behind him warily until the doors closed. "Jio, why did he tell us he'll be watching us? The shinobi from our village don't tell people they're watching them. I mean, wouldn't it be smarter to not tell us?"

Jio shrugged. "Since they aren't really registered shinobi, though their skills are likely good enough to be considered shinobi, they really require the return business. By informing us beforehand that they'll be watching us, they're placing a certain amount of trust in us to not make a stupid decision." With a grin, Jio gave him a playful jab. "It's also to let us know that no matter what we do, we'll be dead men before we leave if we were dumb enough to try and kill their leader."

"Don't even joke about that!" His friend hissed. "What if someone hears you?"

Jio rolled his eyes. "Relax, we're just here to hire them and leave, not kill anyone. There's nothing too it." Stopping in front of a sliding door, Jio grinned. "This is it."

Giving the screen a light tap, they waited until a gruff voice spoke up. "Enter."

As they entered, they were greeted by a man who looked just like many of the others they'd passed earlier in their journey. The main differences were that he wore a very formal black kimono, and his expression was far more guarded then most of the others. His hands were stuck in the sleeves of his kimono, hiding his hand from view; a little detail that didn't escape their notice. Having lived in a shinobi village, they understood that seeing a shinobi's hands could mean the difference between life and death for a civilian.

Despite the tension that filled the room, Jio managed to shrug it off as he stepped forwards and gave the man a short bow. "Good afternoon."

The man was silent for a moment, not even bothering to look them over. After several seconds, he slowly returned the bow. "Good afternoon."

Taking that as his cue to move forward, Jio moved to sit across from the man. Not seeing the man making any move to stop him, he placed the case between them. "I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to skip the idle chit chat, and get straight to the point. We'd like to hire you for a particular job that requires a certain extra cloak-and-dagger."

The man raised an eyebrow. "And what manner of job is this?"

"Arson." Jio replied, popping the top of the case he'd brought in as he spoke. Within his case was several stacks of money, several thousand ryo in all. "We're even willing to pay you in advance for your services."

"Really now." The man turned the case towards himself, looking it over suspiciously. Seeing nothing out of place as far as he could see, he glanced towards Jio. "Why us? With the amount of money you'be brought here, you'd certainly be capable of getting the attention of any shinobi village. They'd be more then willing to do business with you."

"That's just it. What we're asking actually goes against most of Sunagakure's mission rules, so they wouldn't be able to take the mission without causing problems." Jio said with a disgruntled tone. As he continued though, it became increasingly more amused. "As for asking Kumogakure, while it wouldn't be a painful journey, it would be a pointless one. The reason being, we want you to burn down an instillation just within the boundaries of Kaminari no Kuni that supplies Kumogakure shinobi with their weaponry."

"What could you possibly want with the destruction of such a facility?" The man said, his eyes narrowing as he thought over the implications of their clan taking the mission. Even more so since a civilian was coming to them with it. They had never had a civilian come to them, and ask for the destruction of a shinobi facility before; it was an unexpected, and yet intriguing.

"Yes well, this is really a matter of business. Unlike ourselves, this facility is capable of mass producing shuriken and kunai." Jio said, motioning to his friend to bring forward his own case. Within the case, a couple of papers lying within; the blueprints to a building being the most predominant. "While they aren't quite as resistant as ours, they are able to make more faster so that for people who rely on the 'throw and go' method of fighting, they can resupply faster. Destroying it would not only put those shinobi back in their fighting prowes, but would also force them to redirect their business back to our own forges."

The man riffled through the case, taking note of the key point that would take a normal facility down. With those notes in mind, his mind went back to the original job description. "Why arson? While everyone in our clan knows two or three fire techniques, arson is a more obscure specialty then you might think. We have far more demolition experts that you could work with, who'd be more then capable of performing this mission. What does arson offer you that demolition doesn't?"

Jio shrugged. "It would look less like an accident if you went with demolition. With its destruction, the shinobi of Kumogakure would be more likely be more likely to hunt down the culprits." Jio smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "We want to make sure we can still hire you after this in case something else goes wrong. Getting your people killed because we wanted something done more flashily is hardly a way to endear myself to you."

He was answered with a slowly nod. Truthfully, that was smart thinking, and it would make Jio a liked customer, seeing as he'd actually taken the time to think through his request instead of coming to them with a plan that they'd have to go over for hours before they could come to a practical agreement. On the other hand, it also meant that he needed to call in an arson specialist who could pull of a big job like this. Unfortunately, the only two people he had who were capable of pulling off this kind of mission were also the last people he'd want out in the middle of Kaminari no Kuni.

As he thought of those two, a thought occurred to him. "Do you want this to be discrete, or do you simply want this to get done?"

Jio blinked in confusion. "Uh, it's arson. How discrete can you be with arson?"

"…" Unable to think of a proper response, he gave Jio a slight bow. "Very well then. I'll contact my foremost specialists on the matter, and have them on it as soon as possible."

Jio grinned. "Thank you very much." Getting to his feet, he gripped his friends arm. "Let's hurry back. My wife wanted some quality time, and I want to make sure I get a chance to give her just that."

"What about your daughter?"

"Oh she'll be fine, as long as she behaves herself and doesn't go running off. You know how teenage girls can get. Although, we should probably hurry. She's a sharp girl, and if I'm gone too long, she'll get suspicious."

The man watched the two leave with a focus that may have burned them if it were at all possible. When they'd left though, he fell back in on himself and groaned. "Why did they have to ask for the one thing _they_ are good at?"

Shaking his head at the question, he bit his thumb and when through a series of hand seals before placing his hand on the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)."

A small plume of smoke appeared around his hand after an array of seals emerged from where his hand had lay of the floor. When the smoke cleared, a bird with a small scroll on its back stepped forward. "How can I be of service Uchiha-sama?"

Ignoring the bird, he pulled off the scroll and unfurled it revealing a sealing array similar to the array that had summoned the bird. Placing the case that had the blueprints onto the scroll, he channeled some chakra into it. As the case disappeared into the smoke it'd made while being sealed, he turned to the bird. "Make sure you inform them that this job is important for the clan. We cannot have any mishaps, we cannot fail. Do you understand?"

"Of course." The bird said with a bow. Before leaving, it peaked up curiously from its bow. "Any other messages you'd like to send?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stave of the headache, he nodded. "Tell them to at least try to be discreet. Log knows how much trouble they're getting into now."

**-xxxxx-**

In the southern woodland of Kaminari no Kuni, stood a village. At one point, a tall mansion stood at the top of a hill that overlooked the village; like an imperial ruler over those lesser than it. Now though, said building was currently in flames, and two figures could be seen fleeing the scene.

"I already said I'm sorry aniki (big brother)! How was I supposed to know that would happen?"

"Shut up and run!"

"You are so not going to lord his over my head like you did last time! I had a good reason!"

"What part of shut up did you not hear? Just run!"

Both continued running through the underbrush, pausing every few feet as a branch or two struck one of them in the face. While both knew numerous methods to remove such an obstacle, neither wanted to draw any more attention to themselves after the damage they'd caused. It wasn't that often that someone simply declared war on someone who just so happened to live in a fancy house; unless you were these two, in which case it was something they did on a weekly basis.

"Okay, we can take a quick break." The older of the two said. The younger fell into a hunched over position with his hands on his knees, while the older simply leaned back on a nearby tree. "Thank the log for trees."

"There's a joke in there somewhere." The younger said, chuckling lightly. Slowly pushing himself to an upright position, he turned his head from side to side to relieve the crick in his neck. "What do you think aniki? Joke or not?"

He gave his younger brother a dry glare. "I think that whatever joke's in there is probably found in the Book of Log. Unfortunately, you burned out last copy."

"I thought it was extra kindling! Besides, don't you already have it memorized?"

"Oh, so you want me to start quoting from the book?" the older said jokingly. Seeing his brother pale dramatically, he couldn't help but laugh in amusement. "Relax Sasuke, I'm just joking."

"Don't do that to me aniki!" Sasuke shouted, the color not yet returning to his face. "You know I still have shell shock from the last time he quoted from that book!"

His brother nodded. "Ah yes, the violent dispute on the log and pyromaniacs number eighty-six. Good times. If I remember right, he somehow managed to pin you in the sand and was stading with a foot on your head while he spoke."

"Yeah, but the only reason that happened was because I got distracted trying to strangle him." Sasuke said, trying to push blame for his failure on distraction.

"Ah yes." His brother said with a sagely nod. After a brief pause, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Or was it the lovely barmaid that winked at you from the doorway?"

Sasuke's face finally regained color as it became a flushed pink. "Itachi-nii-san!"

Before either could say anything, a rustling in the underbrush caused them to stop. Both of them quickly fell into defensive stances, ready for anything that may come out. After several seconds of watching the brush move, a small white rabbit hopped out.

Sasuke stared down at the fluffy white creature with a look of loathing. "I hate that little rabbit."

"Why? It's positively adorable." Itachi said, kneeling down to try and persuade the rabbit to come forwards.

"Because it's been stalking us!" Sasuke hissed, jabbing his finger at the rabbit. Said rabbit appeared to be ignoring him in favor of his brother, who had picked a bit of leafy greens to offer it. "Ever since we entered Kaminari, that rabbit has somehow appeared at every single place we've been!"

"You're just being paranoid." Itachi said softly, the rabbit leaning forwards to sniff the food in Itachi's hands.

"No I'm not! I'm not paranoid!" Sasuke shouted, stomping his foot down. As he did so, he stepped into the middle of a snare, setting it off and finding his view shifted a complete one-eighty degrees to a new, upside-down perspective.

Whipping back and forth, Sasuke found himself becoming sick as his vision swam from the motion. Itachi frowned as he watched the rabbit scurry off in fright. He couldn't exactly blame it, though he did wish it would have stayed. Roast rabbit was a delicacy he'd begun to miss while he and Sasuke had been on the road.

"Uh, aniki? A little help?" Sasuke asked, slowly coming back to his senses.

Itachi slowly tilted his head to Sasuke, displeasure written all over his face. "Okay, you're acting up a bit to much. What's up?"

"Hey guys! I think we caught something!"

Itachi groaned as three thugs broke through into their little clearing. Seeing their trap with quarry that was most certainly _not_ what they'd wanted to catch, with another person standing by it, they skid to a halt. There was a silent stare down between the two parties, neither sure what to say. After several seconds, Itachi decided to break the monotonous silence. "Yo."

Finally snapped out of their trance, the man in the lead snapped angrily. "Oi, you ain't a rabbit!"

"Wow aniki, he can tell I'm not a rabbit. He must be the bright one." Sasuke said, remarkably cheery despite his situation.

The man shot him a dark glare, which quickly turned to fright when he saw the red eyes staring back. "What-you…" He snapped back to his companions. "Run for it! They're –"

Neither of his friends responded, some horror playing in front of their eyes. He turned back hesitantly, unsure of what he himself might see. His own personal horror, spiders, seemed to crawl across Sasuke as they dropped to the ground and began to swarm over him. He was vaguely aware of someone screaming, and wondered which of his friends had broken to nightmare first. There wouldn't be enough time for him to realize he was hearing his own screaming before the world in its entirety suddenly disappeared.

Itachi sighed, the three falling to the earth silently. Pinching the bridge of his nose gently, he looked up at Sasuke. "What the hell Sasuke? Why did you feel the need to do that?"

"Will you get me down if I tell you?" Sasuke asked, still remarkably cheery. After a moment, Itachi gave him a small nod. "Great! Well, you know how we were hired to burn down that building?"

"Yes."

"Well, now that we've burned down the building, someone's going to try and figure out who did it. And if they sent shinobi after us, we'd probably get screwed. But!" Sasuke said, holding a finger up (or down if you thought of it that way, since he was still upside-down). "If we leave evidence that whoever was placed in the building died in the fire, they won't have a reason to send anyone after us, and we'll get off easy!"

Itachi stared up at him curiously. "When did - how did?" Itachi growled, shaking his head in frustration. "Why didn't you think to inform me of your little plan? It's the first good plan you've had in a while."

Sasuke stuck out his tongue at Itachi. "Because you'd say it was a dumb plan, and just have us run away from whoever came after us."

"…okay, I might've done that." Itachi said. Pulling out a kunai, he walked over to the rope that held Sasuke up. "I suppose I should live up to my bargain."

"Thanks aniki! Uh, aniki? Please don't cut the rope, I'm still in the air. Aniki? A-ah!"

Itachi turned to the small heap Sasuke had fallen into, a small smirk on his face. "Alright, now we're even." Picking up one of the thugs bodies, he began making his way back to the house. "Come on otouto (little brother), let's go!"

Sasuke mumbled curses as he picked himself, holding his head as a dramatically oversized bump appeared on his head. Shaking it off, Sasuke grinned as he picked up the two thugs and raced after Itachi. Inwardly, he couldn't help but cheer. _'Operation, make Itachi see my genius, success!'_

'_I wonder how long it'll take for him to realize he had no idea where the thug encampment was, and was following me the entire time.'_ Itachi inwardly mussed. His contemplative thought was cut off, as a startled shout echoed from behind him. _'Huh, that took far less time then normal. I'll admit he's getting smarter, but he's still quite a ways away from developing the forethought I have. It's just another work in progress.'_ Itachi coughed lightly into his hand, grimacing for a moment as he amended his thoughts. _'I should probably try and speed it up a bit more. After all, he is quite eager to learn. Experience is truly the only thing he really needs. Well, that and a girlfriend.'_

**-xxxxx-**

Several days later, deeper within the forest of Kaminari no Kuni, Itachi and Sasuke stopped in a large clearing. After biting his thumb and going through a few hand seals, Sasuke placed his hand on the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)."

A plume of smoke and a small bird appeared in front of him, giving Sasuke a salute as best a bird could. "Hello Sasuke-sama! It's good to see you again." Reaching behind itself with its beak, it pulled off the scroll it had been carrying and placed it in front of the two brothers. "Your family was given a special mission that requires your talents."  
>"About time they recognized our skills were worth something." Sasuke muttered. While they hadn't exactly been exiled from the clan, they had been given mostly less important, and low pay missions for the last couple of months. Hearing that there was a 'special mission' made the hairs on the back of his neck go on end as he patiently waited for the bird to elaborate.<p>

Said bird gave him a glare, unhappy that he'd been interrupted. "As I was saying, there's a special mission that requires your skills in arson. I should inform you that your father advised you to be as discreet as possible."

"…its arson. How can we be 'discreet' if we're going to create a rumbling ball of fire?" Itachi asked blandly.

The bird shrugged. "I dunno, he just told me to tell you that." Unrolling the scroll, he stomped his foot on the scroll and unsealed the case their father had been given. "All the information on your target is in here. Blueprints, the surrounding area, a list of guard shifts –"

"What kind of person can get all this stuff?" Sasuke asked, already leafing through the papers in the case. His black eyes raced across the pages, trying to commit as much as he could to memory for later reference. With every page he read, his brow became increasingly creased. "This seems way to detailed to give to a clan like ours. I mean, why not just ask shinobi from Suna to do it? I'm sure they'd love a shot at Kumo."

"Because it would cause a political scandal." Itachi replied, taking the pages Sasuke had finished with and began looking over them himself. Unlike Sasuke, he used his Sharingan (Copy Wheel Eye) to help imprint it to memory. "It would likely be less efficient as well, seeing as Suna isn't known for their fire techniques."

"Fire's not the only way to start a fire." Sasuke muttered, staring intently at the weapon list that had rested at the bottom of the case.

Itachi nodded. "True. Explosive tags would be a viable option too."

"Or they could do it my way." Sasuke said cheekily.

"Yes, stumble over your own two feet and make a bigger fool out of yourself then the village idiot." Itachi replied. Sasuke gave a shout of indignation that Itachi ignored as he turned to address the bird. "Thank you for this mission. We will complete it as requested before the end of the week."

"Awesome." The bird muttered quietly. "Just what we need, you two on a mission to wreck havoc on the world."

"Cheer up, it could be worse." Sasuke said. "We might've needed your help to get scout out the info on this place."

The bird blinked as it thought over. "Okay, that is a pretty scary thought." Deciding to get out before they decided they _did_ need his help, the bird saluted him again. "Until next week."

Sasuke and Itachi returned the salute, watching as the bird returned to the summoning world. Once it was gone, Sasuke gave Itachi a cool gaze. "I really don't like how we got this. It's just….too convenient. All this information, all this other information we don't need." Shaking his head, he groaned. "Am I over thinking this again?"

"No, I agree with you." Itachi said, slowly going through a short string of hand seals. "However, we need to focus on the mission first. If we're truly being betrayed, we'll find out soon enough.

Lighting the papers and case on fire with a small fireball, Itachi began leaving the area. Sasuke stared into the flames for another couple of seconds before following after. Itachi was right; they had a job to worry about first. In the back of his mind though, he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that there was something that they were missing. Something that was going to happen, and whatever it was, it was going to be big.

"Bring it on." Sasuke whispered, a look of confidence as he followed after his brother into the distance.

**-xxxxx-**

It took a week to reach the village wherein their target lay. While it normally wouldn't have taken nearly as long using normal methods, they'd decided to take their fathers advice for once, and be 'discreet'. Slipping into one of the village that was four days by civilian transport, they asked around and eventually acquired said transport. They'd also picked up disguises to further throw anyone who might try to follow them; not that they believed anyone was attempting to follow them.

Sasuke wore his hair in its normal manner; drawn back with bangs that hung past his chin, though he did have the addition of a bandana wrapped like a headband to keep his bangs out of his eyes. His clothes were a white shirt that fell halfway down his lower arm, with a pair of dark brown hakama-styled pants.

Itachi on the other hand, while keeping his hair drawn back into a ponytail that went down to midway between his shoulder blades, had quickly taken to wearing a straw hat to help shield his face. His clothing style, usually color coded to keep him invisible in the dark, was now more flamboyant then normal. He'd traded in his black shirt, and pants combo, and gotten an orange vest with baggy blue shorts.

Sasuke would've been fine with this, if it weren't for one small thing. Itachi left his vest open, and wasn't wearing a shirt under it. Sasuke glanced out the cart, groaning as he noticed more then a few stares sent their way; obviously towards Itachi. A part of him wanted to tell them Itachi's little secret, but left it alone for now. Itachi was far more skilled then he was, and there wasn't anything beneficial that would come from telling random women on the street that were checking him out. Although if he were honest with himself, he wished he was alone so he could know which girls were checking _him_ out.

"I'd say five, six at the most." Itachi muttered, his hat covering the most part of his face.

Sasuke resisted the urge to hit his head against the edge of the cart. Leave it to Itachi to know exactly what he was thinking, and then go out of his way to figure out some random number so that Sasuke would be aimlessly looking for the girls he'd apparently noticed.

"Those two girls standing in front of that flower shop are checking you out. The rest you'll have to guess for yourself." Itachi informed him, the corner of his mouth twitching as he heard Sasuke succumb to his desire to hit his head.

Peeking his head over the side of the cart, Sasuke looked to where his brother had indicated. Sure enough, in front of a flower shop they were slowly ambling by were two girls, shyly glancing in the direction of the cart. One girl was decked out in purple, with blonde hair in a ponytail that went down just past her shoulders. Her friend was decked out in pinks and green's – even her hair was pink – and had hair that dropped down to the small of her back.

Although somewhat hesitant, Sasuke gave them a small wave. To his delighted surprise, the both turned bright red and shy turned away. After a few seconds though, they both returned the wave.

Sasuke leaned back in the cart, grinning like a fool. Next to him, Itachi just shook his head. While not really sheltered, Sasuke had no experience with the girls. Just another thing to add to his list of things to teach him; in the ever loving, brotherly manner of course.

Meaning he planned on teasing the living daylights out of him once he eventually got a girlfriend.

The cart hit a bump, knocking lightly into one of the men that was walking in the same direction. As their driver shouted an apology, Itachi took notice of the man they passed. There was a gruff mutter of dismissive acceptance, and then nothing. The man, similar to himself, wore an oversized straw hat that cover most of his face, with a large traders cloak covering most of himself. The thing that caught Itachi's attention though was that for a brief moment, he swore he saw a flash of black armor running across the bridge of the man's nose.

Turning to Sasuke, he gave his brother a light jab in the side. "Keep your eyes open. We'll be heading out tonight, so be ready for anything."

Sasuke nodded. "Got it aniki." He paused for a couple of seconds. "Okay I give up, where are the other girls?"

Itachi chuckled. "What other girls?"

"Damn it aniki!" Sasuke shouted, getting a few confused glances from the civilians as they passed by.

**-xxxxx-**

"Can we go in now?" Sasuke asked, peaking curiously from the nook of a tree he'd decided to climb earlier. Both he and Itachi were wearing dark red armor, stolen from Anbu that had caught them once and attempted to stop them. They'd proven themselves truly the best of the best, but had eventually succumbed. Now he and Itachi wore it for their high priority missions, where it might come in handy should a fight break out. They'd even taken the time to carve their family symbol – a fan divided with red on top and white on bottom – engraved into the back of the armor.

"The guards are heading home for the night, so we'll need to give them about five minutes before we can move in. We'll only have an hour opening between these guards and the next shift before things will get infinitely more difficult."

Sasuke nodded, crossing his arms as he silently stewed. "I'm telling you this is way too easy. What kind of idiots do these people hire? I mean honestly, a whole hour between shifts? There's no purpose behind it other then to paint a big sign to all shinobi saying 'I'm open, please destroy me'."

"Perhaps they are living on the assumption no one would dare attack them due to the fact they are supplying Kumogakure." Itachi offered, finding the timing all too convenient as well, but was looking for the reasons why they'd have it rather then why they wouldn't need it.

"Yeah, because wars aren't won by how many weapons you can arm your forces with, they're won by how many plates they put around the dinner table." Sasuke said viscously, knowing his history and how it applied to real life after it had been fully drilled into his head by the age of nine.

Itachi sighed. "Look, we'll check up on it later." Looking up at the near midnight sky, he silently sighed. "Let's go."

"Finally." Sasuke muttered, hopping down from his nook. "I was beginning to think I was complaining for nothing."

They both raced down to the building, keeping out of sight despite the fact no one would be able to see them. Sidling up to either side of the door, Itachi gave Sasuke the go ahead, as they cracked the door in and dove in. Sasuke rolled in, pulling out a pair of kunai from his arm braces. Itachi didn't bother with the theatrics, simply strolling into the facility.

The building was exactly as the blueprints had said, practically to the dot. Itachi found himself going through the blueprints and matching them up almost perfectly. It made him feel more comfortable with the information they'd been given, seeing as it meant they wouldn't have to find themselves coming to dead ends too often.

"Split up, or take it together?" Sasuke asked, not moving from his defensive stance.

Itachi went over the blueprints in his head again, figuring the best places to begin. "I'd say we should take it together. While this isn't a demolition, we'll need to use the same principles if we're going to use fire tags."

"Alright, fire tags!" Sasuke said, pulling out what appeared to be a stack of paper. To anyone knowledgeable in the shinobi arts, they would generally assume that they were explosive tags. Unknown to most, Sasuke and Itachi had changed a few things and created a whole new brand of paper destruction.

Dropping his stack in the middle of the room, he hustled after Itachi, who was already moving to the next point. Sasuke grinned, figuring this would be a walk in the park. While he still had his doubts as to why there wouldn't be any guards, there was nothing like a giant fireball to help sooth his nerves.

As they rounded the corner to head up to the upper levels though, they were caught completely off guard as when they opened the door, someone else stepped back in surprise.

The man in the doorway was tall, and broad, obviously a man with great strength. He had a large headpiece with a three pointed crown-like ridge, bearing a ring on the left most point that stood out in great comparison to the solid red coloring of his hair and beard. Clothing wise, he wore brown armor protecting his chest, and a long-sleeved purple shirt and pants with a bag tied tightly on his waist. Across his face, he had a prominent black piece of armor that ran across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose.

Itachi's eyes narrowed, barely recognizing the armor piece being the man who their cart had bumped into. His eyes widened further when the man took a step back and began running through hand signs. "Sasuke, move!"

Sasuke didn't need to be told twice, diving out of the doorway. Not two seconds later, a wave of molten lava crashed through the place where he'd once stood. Sasuke's eyes widened as he rolled to his feet. "Okay, this was NOT in the job description!"

"Complain later Sasuke, fight now!" Itachi yelled back, already moving as quickly as he could in an attempt to get to the only other exit their opponent could leave through now that the first stairwell was blocked by a pool of lava.

Their opponent did not seem willing to give him this, as he completely ignored the fact there was another way he might be able to escape and simply plowed through the wall in an attempt to get at them. Seeing Itachi caught off guard, he began forming hand seals for his next attack.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Grand Fireball Technique)." Sasuke shouted, a torrential wave of fire plowing towards the mystery man.

Their opponent noticed the incoming fireball, and quickly redirected his attack. Opening his mouth widely, a fireball – _very_ similar to Sasuke's own technique – plowed into Sasuke's, effectively nullifying the attack. However, the attack served its purpose, giving Itachi a moments reprieve to hide and take a momentary breather.

'_What just happened?'_ Itachi mentally muttered as he watched Sasuke duck around the corner during the fire-screen he and the man had made. _'Were we set up? Why would someone set us up? This doesn't make any sense.'_

"Where did you little brats go?" the man muttered, pulling out a curved kunai as he slowly stalked forwards. Despite his appearance, he moved like a seasoned combat veteran, moving slowly through the area where Sasuke had last been seen.

From his hiding spot, Itachi began planning their next move. _'I don't want to kill him, since I'm going to want some answers, so immobilization would probably be best. I have several genjutsu, but they take too long to ready. If I had a distraction –"_

"Raiton: Raikouhou (Lightning Release: Thunder Roar Sear)!"

From the roof above them, a bolt of condensed lightning shot down. The man, further proving Itachi's theory, was able to move just before he would have been caught up in the destruction. When he looked up, he saw the determined face of Sasuke, who was already leaping down as he prepared another jutsu.

"Katon: Gouryuuka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique)!"

Several dragon-head shaped flame projectiles shot from Sasuke's mouth, setting fire to anything that got in his path. While the man was obviously startled by the barrage of high leveled techniques, he took them in stride and unleashed several large balls of lava in retaliation. The two techniques collided, and once again, his vision was obscured.

'…_that'll work.'_ Itachi thought with a smile as he began concentrating on his technique.

Sasuke grimaced, having to tuck and roll to avoid a ball of lava that nearly clipped him as it soared by. _'I hope this distracts him without killing me.'_ Sasuke thought as he skid to a stop, mere inches from another pool of lava. "Okay, this is getting ridiculous."

"I'd have to agree." The man said, walking up a wall to get a better view of Sasuke. "You're a rather powerful kid. It'll be a shame that I have to kill you to move forwards. What's your name?"

"Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke said, allowing his Sharingan to flair to life for the first time in their fight.

To Sasuke, it wasn't fun to beat people up in slow motion unless he was already pushed into a corner. He'd rather prove that he was strong for being himself, not because he saw better then every one else. This philosophy was also the opposite of Itachi's 'keep it active always' method, which allowed him to memorize more of what he saw and use it to his advantage.

The man raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I've heard of you before. One of the infamous Uchiha Hakushuku (Uchiha Brothers), I'm surprised." Giving Sasuke a quick bow, he motioned to himself. "I am Roshi, former shinobi of Iwagakure no Sato."

"Iwa?" Sasuke asked quietly, remembering the different villages he knew. "Wasn't Iwa wiped out and integrated into Suna?"

"Yes, but not everyone was." Roshi explained. "There were many who were able to flee, and others who were simply away when it happened. I was a part of the later, on a special training mission at the time when Konoha and Iwa were completely engulfed by the desert, and then Sunagakure."

"Wait, so you mean to tell me you remember when the forest died?" More shocking words had never been spoken to Sasuke. Here before him, was a man who was ancient, and likely knew a whole lot more then he did if what he was saying was true. He cursed loudly, as he slid into a defensive stance. "Great, just what I always wanted; to fight a guy three times my age and know I'm gonna get my butt kicked. Might as well make it fun."

"That's the spirit." Roshi with a chipper reply, as he unleashed a wave of lava at Sasuke.

Sasuke, already anticipating the lava coming at him, turned tail and began fleeing towards the other side of the room. As he ran, he noticed a wall of completed weapons in front of him. Getting an idea, he picked up speed.

As he reached the weapons wall, he grabbed the first thing he could get his hands on; a katana with a square guard, and red tassels. Yanking it from its place on the wall, he raced upward to avoid the incoming death as he drew the sword and prepared his next big move.

Roshi watched with some interest as Sasuke reached the ceiling and began running across it. Considering how much lava he'd spewed, and Sasuke's own fire techniques, it was surprising he could even breathe up there considering how much fumes and heat there must have been. As he reached halfway across, his speed picked up, and Roshi noticed sparks dancing around his body and along the sword he'd acquired. Getting the idea that it probably wasn't going to be good, he formed several hand seals.

As he launched another fireball, Sasuke unleashed the lightning he'd built up around his sword in a vertical arc. The lava, unprepared for the manner in which it was hit, exploded away from Sasuke as he continued on his path towards Roshi. Roshi cursed as he dropped from the wall, letting Sasuke in his lightning charged state pierce straight through the wall.

Sasuke slowly rolled over, coughing lightly as he shifted some of the stone that had followed him in off of himself. "Well, that was dumb."

"Indeed." Roshi muttered, hopping into the room. Glaring down Sasuke, he slowly came to a decision; Sasuke was too strong to simply waste chakra on with random lava attacks, especially since he'd yet to see his brother appear yet. Taking a small, steadying breath, he began channeling chakra.

Sasuke watched curiously as Roshi simply in front of him for a couple of seconds before his Sharingan registered the strange change that was occurring. His chakra, a normal blue like everyone else's, was slowly bleeding purple throughout his body. Almost the moment he noticed this, the chakra burst forth, like a dam had broken. The chakra whirled around Roshi, wrapping itself around him like a cloak of chakra. The form was similar to a monkey, with the chakra acting as a thin representation of one, then two tails.

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. "Oh sh –"

Roshi blasted forwards, creating a crater from the force of his leap. Only the Sharingan and years of experience using it kept him from getting a crater in his chest as he leap upwards and let Roshi rush on. Before he'd completely hit the ground though, the chakra-tail constructs gripped into the ground and helped whip him back around. Sasuke cursed as he hit the floor, completely defenseless against the counterattack.

Roshi's face within the chakra didn't change as he slammed his fist into Sasuke's chest. Sasuke's body convulsed, his mouth open in agony as the chakra seared through him. Roshi watched in detachment as Sasuke collapsed, his eyes wide and hollow.

"Wow, that was really close." Sasuke muttered. Roshi snapped his head to Sasuke, who was not where he'd just killed him completely unharmed. Sasuke blinked for a second before snapping his fingers. "Ah right, I forgot to hide the sound."

Roshi roared, bringing his hands together and slamming them against the ground. With the chakra around his hands, he ripped through the ground and plowed a path towards Sasuke. Sasuke, now recognizing that jumping would be a very bad idea, rolled to the side. With his Sharingan spinning rapidly, he began weaving another genjutsu. Meanwhile, his hands were going through a series of seals to prepare for the second strike.

This time Roshi was prepared for it though, as he simply spiked his purple chakra and moved on, launching both tails at Sasuke. Sasuke rolled between them, getting directly in front of Roshi with a small smirk. "I'm in! Raiton: Raikouhou no Jutsu!"

The lightning chakra generated around his hands sparked wildly, as though in thinly veiled excitement. When he brought his hands forwards, the chakra recoiled off each other and created the bolt that had plowed through the roof mere moments before, striking Roshi fully in the gut.

Roshi grunted, another tail of chakra appearing as he focused on defending himself from the strike. The two chakra's fought each other, each back lashing towards the owner. Finally, the friction the two chakra's made was too much and the both recoiled. Sasuke went flying, his shoulder harshly hitting the hole he'd made earlier, getting buried by a bit more rubble. Roshi, more used to explosions, was able to grind his heels in and stay earthbound. But even for him it was a bit too much, as he was forced violently into the ground with stones engulfing him.

There was a brief silence between the two as they both attempted to recover from the blast. Finally, with a bit of exertion, Roshi pulled himself from his stone trap. "Kids today are too damn powerful." He muttered, shaking his head. "I'm getting too old for this hit and burn method."

From beneath his own pile of rubble, Sasuke woozily sat up. "Ow, man. I feel like I just got hit over the head by…wait, hit and burn?"

Roshi opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off as something seemed to cut across his vision. Growling, he flared his purple chakra in retaliation. Sasuke watched in amazement as the genjutsu Itachi had been setting up finally set it, unwavering even under the oppressive brute-like strength of Roshi's purple chakra. After a moment of struggling, Roshi slowly fell to his hands and knees, panting heavily and looking slightly paler then normal.

Itachi, after navigating the raging inferno in the other room, stepped through the hole. His eyes took in the room immediately, quickly landing on Sasuke who was still laying where he'd been knocked over. Within a few seconds, he was by Sasuke's side looking him over. "What the hell were you thinking? Were you trying to get yourself killed?"

Sasuke shrugged, hissing in pain as his shoulder immediately objected to the movement. "I figured that it was either you distract him and I do the genjutsu, or the other way around. And let's face it, you're better at pulling off genjutsu then I am." Sasuke shot him a small glare. "You certainly took your sweet time making it though. I mean really, five minutes to prepare a genjutsu? How many layers did you think you needed?"

"Originally I thought I only would need maybe six, but with the strange chakra he used, I had to double it." Itachi said blandly, gently prodding Sasuke's shoulder with a small healing jutsu he'd picked up. "It's not broken, but it is dislocated."

"I'm on it." Sasuke said, gripping his upper arm. Standing quickly, he slammed his shoulder into the wall with a satisfying yet painful pop. "Ah! And there it is."

Itachi nodded, knowing that it would have to do for the moment. Turning to Roshi, he pulled out a kunai to finish him off.

Before he could though, Sasuke gripped his arm. "Wait."

"Why?" Itachi asked, his eyes never leaving Roshi. "He tried to kill us, and it would be far more merciful then leaving him for the flames."

Sasuke glanced at Roshi, the man still panting heavily from the genjutsu. "He said something about a 'hit and burn' method. There might be more to this then we know."

Itachi sighed, slowly putting the kunai away. "Alright, but if he wakes up and tries to kill us, I'm letting him kill you this time."

"Yeah sure, whatever."

**-xxxxx-**

"So you're saying that two men came to your clan's hideout, hired you to burn down this building, and didn't tell you there'd likely be competition?"

"No. Uh, wait…yes?"

Roshi shook his head as he groaned in exasperation. "Yeah, I wasn't told this either. And I got the leader of my mercenary group to get me all the details beforehand so I don't walk into another firefight some time ago, so I don't know how this happened. Somehow or another, we both got the exact same mission to do the exact same thing, and neither of us realized we were on the same side."

Itachi nodded. "I thought you were a guard until you started flinging fireballs around. Then I just figured it was some kind of trap for us."

Roshi chuckled under his breath. "Yeah. I thought pretty much the same thing 'til your brother here distracted me with that fireball."

Sasuke scratched his cheek nervously. "Yeah well, you were going to barbeque my aniki. I couldn't really let you just kill him."

Roshi patted Sasuke on the shoulder, give him a brief grunt of approval. "Family is important boy. Never forget that." Turning his head towards the now completely inflamed building they had vacated, he added. "And always remember that if all else fails, nothing will bring people closer together then wanton destruction and a large bonfire."

Itachi sweat dropped at the proclamation as Sasuke nodded. "Of course he's just as nuts as Sasuke is." Reaching into a kunai pouch he'd placed on his left thigh, he fished out a stick of pocky and began to munch on it. "Ah, the joys of an after mission snack."

"You're back on those?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "I thought you'd gone straight after the last time we had to detoxify you."

"I only get one box per mission." Itachi muttered indignantly, shooting Sasuke a glare. "What are you, our mother?"

Sasuke shook his head. "And you get on me for enjoying watching stuff burn down."

'_Note to self; when looking for a girl for Sasuke, make sure they're a pyromaniac.'_ Itachi thought. After a moment though, he shook his head. _'Yeah, because that would be a good idea. Get two people who love to burn stuff down and let them reproduce. What am I thinking?'_

"Eh aniki, where're we headed next?"

Itachi leaned to look around Roshi. While he and Sasuke had changed back into their civilian clothes, Roshi simply stayed in what he'd been wearing when they'd met him. That meant it was safe to say he was heading back to his mercenary group, and they wouldn't have to worry about him. For themselves on the other hand, there was something he felt they needed to do.

"We're going to head to the border." Itachi replied, motioning to their outfits. "We'll travel civilian style, until we get to the Sabure Hokousha (Sand Walker) caravan. From there, we'll head to Kousa."

Sasuke's head snapped toward Itachi, his mouth agape in shock. "Kousa? You mean where that gambling tournament is being held?"

"Yes, that Kousa." Itachi replied, his eyes narrowing as he remembered what he'd heard. "There's a new, special prize for the winner that they're going to reveal in two weeks. Even at the pace we'll be moving at, we should arrive with enough time to get a few extra ryo to buy things we'll need."

Sasuke stared at Itachi, a critical look in his eyes. "There's something you're not telling me, isn't there?" Sasuke's face morphed into one of shock as he pointed at Itachi accusingly. "You're going to try and set me up with a girl again!"

"That was one time, and I had no idea she was an assassin." Itachi replied, never once losing his cool. "Besides, it's not for you, it's for me and Kasumi."

"You and…oh!" Sasuke said.

Roshi glanced between the two brothers, loudly clapping his hands together as he took a step back. "Well now, I have no idea what you two are talking about, so I think I'll just take my leave."

Itachi and Sasuke gave each other a quick glance before bowing to Roshi. "We apologize for what happened earlier."

Roshi shook his head. "You just reacted to the situation. Living in the desert, where Suna shinobi could be anywhere, can do that to a guy." Giving them one last look, he sighed. "Remember to watch each others back you two. This land's getting more screwed up as the day's go on."

"We know." Itachi and Sasuke said simultaneously.

They watched Roshi leave, both taking in his words in silence. Once he was out of sight, Sasuke slowly turned to Itachi. "Aniki, what happened to the fire tags we left in the building?"

Slowly, the both turned around to the building. From one corner of the building, a wave of blue fire erupted violently, sending blue superheated sparks flying onto the ground around the building. Both watched in silent awe as the fire tags added to the already massive destruction the building was consumed by.

"…that was totally worth waiting for." Sasuke said, a single tear slowly trailing down his face. He sniffed lightly, wiping it away. "Sorry, some of the ash got in my eye."

A snapped twig made both drop into defensive stances, ignoring the destruction behind them. Another snap sounded and made them tense further before a small fluffy head popped out of the bush. Its nose twitched, glancing from side to side as Itachi sighed and Sasuke glared at the ball of fluff.

"I hate that rabbit." Sasuke muttered.

Itachi rolled his eyes, his mind setting itself into thoughts of how they'd eat some nice rabbit meat when his eye caught onto something. "You're still going to hold onto that sword?"

Sasuke grinned, holding the sword to eye level. "Yeah, why not? I mean, it's not like anyone's going to notice one mission. Not after Roshi unloaded the lava all over the place."

Itachi shook his head. "Fine, but you'd better keep it out of sight then. Who knows what'll happen if one of Kumogakure's shinobi saw it."

"Right." Sasuke said, deciding to seal it away later that evening. After all, who would see the sword at this time of night, when they had a burning building to focus on?

**-xxxxx-**

Off in the trees a short distance away, a man peaked around a tree he'd been hiding behind moments before. Seeing the two men he'd been watching leaving, he focused in on their position. As he did so, his eyes widened in shock as he recognized the sword in Sasuke's hand, and he remembered the crest carved into the back of the armor they'd worn earlier.

Slowly, he drew his eyes back to the burning building, a confused and startled look in his eyes as his eyes took in the flaming building. He'd seen the explosion of blue fire, and knew that there was another man involved. However, with what he'd seen thus far, it was obvious that those two people were the true perpetrators of this destruction.

He quickly went through the hand seals for the summoning technique, summoning a ram with small scroll carrier on either side of its body. Taking a scroll from the right side of the ram, he began scribbling out a message as quickly as he could.

"Get this to the Raikage as quickly as possible. Inform him that we've come under attack, and that the western forge has been destroyed." Replacing the scroll, he placed a hand on the rams shoulder. "Be swift, and tell him to ready our troops. The Uchiha have declared war on Kumogakure, and we need to be prepared to respond in kind."

* * *

><p>AN: Wow, this was by far the most change to the original storyline I could think of when I began writing for this story. As you can tell, the Uchiha are back to their clan ways, and are hiring out to whomever will hire them. Of course, their stuff is obviously more 'cloak and dagger' then the hidden villages will accept. Not going to be all that good later, but for now it's a living.<p>

I had an absolute blast writing the Sasuke and Itachi parts. I've decided to think of them as NotEmo!Sasuke, and BringingSexyBack!Itachi. I'm a dude, and I've seen the horrors of fan girls gone out of control, but dang it all if it's not hilarious stuff. Plus, their civilian clothes are actually based off of two different other characters. Sasuke's is simply a closed shirted variation of his Shippuden outfit; Itachi's on the other hand...well, if you can guess who he's dressed as, you get a gold star.

Roshi...he was actually a spur of the moment idea. I was originally going to have a several Iwa renegade shinobi attacking the place, but then figured; why send a group when one jinchuuriki could do the job in half the time? Unfortunately, his entire personality shifted a bit to much for my liking during his two scenes, so he's not going to appear until a bit later when I can better pin it down beside the 'pyromaniac' bit. It also helped show that Sasuke is capable, though that probably has more to do with actual training and getting the arrogant knocked out of him by his brother. Brothers, gotta love how they'll mock you where it hurts most.

I'm actually going to put a few other demon containters in this story, though where they'll be aligned in comparison to where they were is subject to change. Well, all except for five of them. Huh, imagine that, only four are still out and about. And one is supposed to be in Kiri. Hm, decisions, decisions.

Next time on Desert Assassin: _The Warrior Slave_. The final main character introduction.


	3. Chapter 3: The Warrior Slave

Kishimoto is killing me here! I mean, now _everyone's_ a good guy? The change of ideals and the way people view them is feeling a bit askew, and too easy for his plot. Granted, we knew nothing about gold dust man (for those who don't want spoilers), but that was a sucker punch if there ever was one. Luckily for me, I can still screw with my universe however I please! Joy.

Also, I think I'd be more disappointed in the current lack of reviews (5 in all so far - Thanks to all who've reviewed!) if it weren't for the fact that I've written three chapters to a story, with 10,000 words each in a _week_. Just to get through the introductory chapters. Yeah...I'm exhausted. Go. Read. Enjoy. Review please. Thank you.

* * *

><p>Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, although I do own this alternate, more sandy universe.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Naruto Shippuden: Desert Assassin<strong>

_Chapter 3: The Warrior Slave_

The sound of a thousand people cheering thundered across the desert. The pounding of feet, and other assorted objects disturbed anyone and anything within the vicinity. For within this area of the desert, was a colossal arena; one of dozens and dozens built throughout the desert. And currently, the main event was getting started.

The Arena was a tall sand structure, built around a pit that dropped down nearly one and a half thousand feet down, making it nearly impossible for those in the arena to leave unless they had someone give them assistance by wall walking. In the upper section that began just barely level to the desert, it extended another five hundred feet; allowing for up to ten thousand people to be seated as they were now. More so, since there were more then a few who were willing to stand in the aisles just to get a glimpse of the goings on of this particular arena.

Standing seemingly in the middle of the air over the pit, a hooded figure began speaking, his voice echoing so that he could be heard over the roar of the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the arena!"

The crowd, already riled up from the wait, burst into veracious cheering. The announcer glanced around, grinning all the while as he motioned for the people to begin settling down. Pointing to one side of the arena, he smoothly slipped back into his speech. "It is my pleasure to introduce today's entertainment! All the way from the far southeast side of the Suna Empire, we have managed to obtain - and transport - a large pack of dangerous, and rather hungry, desert tigers!"

The crowd screamed its approval, hooting and hollering as they heard the squeal of metal on metal; the signal of the gates being opened to release the beasts that would be fighting in today's match.

The announcer's grin seemed to widen further as he motioned to the other side of the arena. "And as always, the most terrifying human beings you may ever think of meeting; our unruly, absolutely unbreakable, slave warriors!"

The crowd appeared mixed on this announcement. Some cheered them, others booed them, and some hissed in anticipation, simply wishing to see blood shed on the sand below.

"Let the match, begin!"

Down in the arena, in the tunnel the slaves were exiting out of, a group of fourteen people stepped out. They were people of all sorts; several were tall, a few others were short, two people had darker complexion, both standing on either side of one extremely pale man, and there was even one woman who stood amongst them. They each had their own weapons, both common and the more obscure; only a few took a small batch of kunai and shuriken as most of the others didn't have the skill to utilize them properly, the pale man carried an oversized battle ax, both of the darker men had kusarigama - a hand scythe with a chain that was connected to a weighted piece of metal, and most of the rest had some form of crude blade within their grasp. Despite their differences though, they were all the same in one regard; their bloodlust and desire to rip all they matched against to pieces. All that is, except for one.

He stood by them, seemingly just like the rest of them. Over five and a half feet tall, he didn't really stand out in matters of height. His dark hair was untamed; looking like it was in dire need of getting cut. While all the others wore some form of clothing or armor, he walked forward bare-chested, revealing scars from numerous other fights he'd been through. Wrapped around his hands were several thick strips of leather, wound together to form a crude cestus; the only non-bladed weapon any of them carried.

Despite all these things, which would add up to a more dangerous looking individual, from within the shadows cast by his incredibly large eyebrows, his eyes spoke a different story. One of a man who was in complete control, and who fought to win rather then kill.

Across from the slaves, the doors finished opening, the clacking of chains letting them know that the tigers were now loosed, and likely on the prowl. One of the lead men turned to the others, his scared visage twisting further as he snarled as he raised his serrated blade into the air. "Skin these cats alive!"

The others roared in approval, while the one remained silent. When the others began their charge, he followed shortly thereafter, keeping a short distance behind. Hearing the noise they were making, the tigers finally found their way out to meet them.

"Come on Goken!" One of the other men shouted, breaking off from the group to attack one of the tigers that was slinking off to the side.

Goken grimace, picking up speed almost immediately to keep pace with his fast moving companion. He could hear the sounds of a few of the others colliding with the tigers, their weapons catching at least one off guard by the sound of it. Inwardly, he winced as he heard a scream of anguish just before it was silence by the following louder roar.

The man he'd followed had gotten a hold of a pair of kunai for weapons, and apparently deemed them sufficient to take on a tiger half his size. Goken narrowed his eyes as he took in the animal, going over what he knew of desert tigers quickly. As he did, he remembered some important information and skid to a stop, snapping his head to the entryway where the tigers had left from.

The funny thing about desert tigers was that despite the fact that most animals remained small to conserve energy, water, and whatever else there was, desert tigers were the largest fully carnivorous predator in the desert. A full grown tiger could stand eight feet at the shoulder, easily towering over humans – one of their favorite preys. And as he looked through the tigers he could see, they were all barely half their height.

"There just kids." He muttered. His hands clenched as he looked between his companions who mercilessly dove into the tigers without remorse for what appeared to be vengeance for two people who'd fallen. Meanwhile the tigers were letting out a truly pitiful noise, a cross between a hiss and a growl. "They're calling for their parents."

As he said this, a thundering roar shook the walls of the stadium. The audience's cheers became louder then even before; the main event had finally arrived.

The lead man turned to the noise, not having a chance to figure out what was going on before the adult tiger barreled out. With a sweep of its oversized paw, he and the man who stood next to him were struck, and broken in half. The tiger roared a second time, making the other nine slaves stop their own assaults on its children.

"And then there's daddy." Goken muttered, staring into the abyss.

The mother tiger roared a second time, leaping forward. The slaves backpedaled away from the animal, one stumbling over his own two feet. As he tried to pick himself back up, the tiger stood over it, baring its teeth as it tore into the man. Only Goken took a moment to wince as he heard his screams from being eaten alive.

Unfortunately for those who'd watched the carnage, they remained where they were once they realized the tiger wasn't rushing forwards in defensive stances, and were blindsided by the father tiger that attacked while they were distracted. Another two were struck down before the others recognized the threat and began to defend themselves. Goken rushed forwards, the sand kicking up behind him as he tried to get there before too many other people died.

The tiger hissed at the weapons being waved in its face, batting them aside harshly and disarming the more part of them. Before it could leap upon them though, Goken buried his cestus clad arm into its side. With strength beyond his stature, the tiger was picked up and rolled across the dust with a dull crack of its ribs.

The tiger stumbled back to its feet, baring its teeth at him in pain. Goken pressed the offensive, his arms and legs blurring around as he attempted to strike the tiger a second time. Wary of its prey now, it stepped back out of the way to avoid the strikes.

Knowing better then to waste energy, Goken spun into a crouch. Coiling his legs beneath himself, he prepared to launch forwards. Before he could however, several kunai embedded themselves into the tiger's side, and a few more nearly struck him. Thankful he wasn't already moving at the time, he rolled out of the way of the projectiles.

Safe from the onslaught, though now at a disadvantage with the tiger, he snapped at the one who'd throw the kunai. "Watch your weapons!"

"Keep your eye on the prize!"

Goken chuckled as he heard the only woman yelling at him. "Says the girl who nearly hit me! You're not trying to win me, are you?"

The woman scowled, though there was a small pink tint to her face that seemed to match her eye color. "Sh-shut up!"

"Tiger!"

Goken leapt upwards, his legs getting knocked out from under him as the tiger barreled into him. Rolling across the sand, only years of battle training kept him alive as he rolled onto his back and gripped the tiger's jaws closed just before they came down upon him. Grunting in exertion, he began wrestling with the tiger.

Despite the fact the tiger had far more weight to throw around, and muscle mass added onto it, it soon found it couldn't break his grip. Thrashing about, it tried to paw him off, only to find his legs lashing back in retaliation. It snorted in agitation, letting its guard down as it focused on Goken. A mistake it wouldn't live to regret.

Seeing the opening, the woman raced forwards, picking up two of the kunai she'd thrown earlier as she went. Leaping high into the air, she broadsided the tiger lightly, unable to deal damage with the hit alone since she was much smaller. With kunai in hand though, she brought her kunai down on the back of its head.

The tiger tilted its head back as it roared in pain, the kunai not quite reaching through to kill it, but enough to piss it off. Goken released its jaw quickly rolling away quickly to avoid the tiger's rage. The tiger ignored him, focusing instead on the woman.

Said woman yelped as she was shaken off the tiger and fell to the ground before it. Her eyes widened in fear as the tiger loomed over her with a malicious snarl. Just before it took a bite out of her though it was sent into the air for a second time as Goken leapt back into the fray. Knowing he had one shot, he leapt onto the tiger' back and slammed his palm down on the already imbedded kunai and forced it the rest of the way through its skull.

Seeing that the tiger wasn't getting back up, he got up and jogged over to the woman. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I guess." She muttered, picking herself up so as to not be offered assistance. As she did, she hissed in pain as her leg protested, having been injured during her fall.

Goken spared her one last nod before rushing back towards the other slaves who'd been cornered by the mother tiger. Or rather, the two who were left.

Unlike the father tiger, the mother heard his approach and saw his approach. With the last three slave's bodies strewn before her, the mother tiger roared in rage as she turned to face him.

"Konoha Senpuu (Leaf Whirlwind)!" He shouted, spinning to build up momentum. The mother tiger leapt forwards, it jaws wide as it prepared to tear into him. It did not anticipate the strength and speed he possessed though, and as its jaw opened, his leg rushed under her jaw and into her throat. A smaller crack came from the tiger, as its throat collapsed. Goken leapt away as the mother swung wildly, its roars reduced to mere wheezing. Finally with a final, small heave, it fell to the ground with a thud.

Goken took several slow breaths, looking over the remaining people. In all, a dozen tigers – including the mother and father – had been killed by their hands. In return, ten of the original fourteen were scattered on the ground, none of which could be easily distinguished due to the brutal manner of death which they'd fallen too. He bowed his head, silently hoping their souls had gone somewhere better then this.

"And the winners ladies and gentlemen, are the slaves! Give them a round of applause."

Another cheer cut rang out in the Arena. The two other remaining slaves glared up at the crowd, throwing obscene gestures towards them. The woman on the other hand, nursing her injured leg silently, ignored the crowd as she stared at Goken.

He was an enigma to her. While it didn't help that she hadn't been in the arena long enough to get to know anyone, she found his strength alarming, as most others in the slave quarters were eager to boast of how they could fight with the fierceness of the animals they fought. Not once had she heard a story about a man who had the strength to break bones, and wrestle with a tiger.

Now though, she'd seen his strength. And she wanted to understand.

**-xxxxx-**

After being forced to return all their weaponry they'd been given by several Jiton (Magnet Release) users, the remaining six slaves returned to the rest area. There was no glorious homecoming for them, no cheers, or sighs of relief. Just a few nods of acceptance and another couple of hello's from friends.

The woman turned to speak with Goken, but found him already missing from their group. Surprised and confused, she found herself shuffled off with the men to help describe their tale to others around them. By the time she was allowed to get back up, she was almost certain that they'd been speaking 'til dusk.

The room was rather spacious despite the general lack everyone had. The dinning room was the center of it all, where all within could enjoy their last meals; whether it was before a match, or before they headed off to perform other duties depended on the circumstances at the time. From there, there were several hallways that led to the rooms where they slept, a small bathing room, and even one that led to a makeshift training room that they could use to keep up on their skills. Granted, with all their fighting they generally took breaks between battles, there were still a few who like to didn't like slacking off for even a moment. In the far corner of the dinning room, there was a square shaft that rose the entire way up to the surface from which they received food and other necessities.

Hearing the sound of air being forced down, the many slaves began to perk up. The woman, still new to the goings on, slid into a basic defensive stance as she waited to see what would happen. After several long minutes, the noise stopped. There was a small click, and then a dark form fell down into the center of the shaft.

As the form stood up, it began making a brushing motion to dust itself off. Peaking into the room, it was revealed that the form was that of a man. He had light brown Sunagakure chunin vest, his hair done up in a pineapple-like hair style that was held back with a Suna hiate, and a scar running across the bridge of his nose. Chuckling nervously, he scratched the back of his neck in a rather abashed fashion. "Hey everyone, what've I missed?"

One of the large men near the entrance stood up, his scared, gruff face morphing into a grin. "Hey everyone! Umino-san's back!"

Everyone suddenly turned into a flurry of activity, moving forwards to crowd the young chunin. He held up his hands defensively as he slowly pushed his way through the crowd. "Guys, a little room please? Thank you." Getting to his destination, he turned about to face them. "Alright everyone! Settle down, and I'll begin unsealing the extra food."

Most of the men huffed in a sulking manner, quickly shuffling to their seats to await their food. Once everyone was seated, he nodded and pulled out a scroll. "Since your last group performed so well, you've all been given a special treat. Tiger meat."

"Bout time we got some real food." One of the men grumbled. "I mean, it's not like we get to eat what's been killed every time we kill 'em, right?"

There was a bout of laughter that followed; everyone there knew that they'd had to eat what they'd killed since the moment they'd first arrived. No matter how tough or how strange the meat was/looked, they ate with gusto, and vigor. It may just be their last meal, and no one wanted to die on an empty stomach.

The woman sat down at the end of her table, making sure to keep from the wandering hands of the other slaves. Letting her eyes wander the length of each table, she searched for the man from the arena again. Certainly he'd have to return for food at some point, and when he did, she'd find him.

"Well hello there, you're a new face miss. Can I help you with something?"

The woman jumped in surprise as she turned to the man who'd addressed her. To her surprise, it was the man who'd brought the food, Umino. Hiding her surprise with a scowl, she turned away. "What do you want?"

"I'm just trying to be friendly." He responded with a shrug. "Down here, that probably doesn't mean much, but I try. My name's Umino Iruka by the way."

The woman stared at him from the corner of her eye, not sure if he was being serious, or if he was trying to pull something. Deciding to go out on a limb, she returned the greeting. "I'm Kurotsuchi."

Iruka raised an eyebrow in surprise. "They gave you a nickname already? Wow, you must be a pretty good fighter."

Kurotsuchi nearly scoffed, when his words hit her. "Nickname?"

"It, _is_ a nickname, right?" Iruka asked, leaning around her to speak to the man next to her. "Kurotsuchi her nickname, right?"

The man shrugged, stuffing another piece of meat into his mouth. "I'unno. She'sh a new g'rl."

Iruka nodded, turning back to Kurotsuchi. "So, we'll say it's a nickname for the time being?"

Kurotsuchi nodded. "Yeah." Remembering his offer from earlier, she quickly devised a scheme. "You know, I just remembered something I need help with."

"Really?" Iruka asked curiously, confused by the change of subject.

"I just need you to refresh my memory on how things work down here, since you obviously know more then I do." She motioned to one of the hallways. "Do you mind?"

"What? Oh, not at all." Iruka said, realizing she wanted to talk in a place where he wouldn't be drowned out by the ruckus everyone else made.

As they began walking down the halls, Kurotsuchi decided to take her first stab into how things worked. "So, why the nicknames?"

Iruka smiled. "I suppose that would be a pretty good place to start. You see, down here, there aren't just slaves who are forced to fight. There are convicts, traitors, and even prisoners of war. By giving each other nicknames, most believe it would help dispel any animosity for things that happened outside the arena." Iruka chuckled nervously. "It also helps to boost each others egos, since they are considered by some to be the lowest of the low in society."

Kurotsuchi nodded, her thoughts wiring on what else she could ask. "How did you end up here?"

"I like the company mostly." Iruka replied. Seeing the rather perturbed look on Kurotsuchi's face, he chuckled. "Well, they can't be killers all the time. And the people who get shipped from other arenas to this particular arena are generally here for longer then others."

"What do you mean by that?" Kurotsuchi asked in suspicion. She'd never heard that particular detail before, and was rather curious as to what he meant.

"Well, Suna has been an empire for nearly a hundred years now, and they plan to keep it that way. One of their methods to discourage uprisings is to keep you all from making deep connections with one another. That way, if you did decide to rise up, you wouldn't be coordinated, and the uprising would be put down." Iruka replied, giving Kurotsuchi a sympathetic look. "Since you're new, you'll likely be here for a full month before the transfer comes in."

"Wait, why don't we get moved around as often as others?" Kurotsuchi asked, noting the small discrepancy in their methods.

Iruka sighed, running a hand through his hair as he thought over how to skip around the matter. Deciding it was better to keep quiet, he slowly replied. "I-I can't say. If you want the answer to that, there are plenty of theories the other guys have that would be close to accurate to work off of."

Kurotsuchi slowly nodded, letting her mind mull over the possibilities. As they did so, she remembered what she'd originally been thinking about earlier. "Say Iruka-san? What do you know about Goken?"

Iruka gave her a startled glance. "Why do you want to know more about him?"

Kurotsuchi shrugged. "Curiosity. I fought with him in the arena, and he saved my life." Rubbing her arm, she looked away shyly. "I-I guess I just wanted to know more about him."

Iruka, falling for the act hook line and sinker, quickly spoke up. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you a little bit.

"I think the first thing you should know about him is that he probably knows as much about the fights as any of the older veterans. He's been moved from here and back again several times over the years, fighting in probably every arena across Suna."

"So that's how he got so many scars." Kurotsuchi muttered.

Iruka grimaced. "You'd think so. Thing is while he's a young guy, he's really strong. And sometimes, when some of the other fighters get some hair-brained scheme, he's their first pick to break out with. He's got a sense of honor miles wider then any samurai's, and they generally end up lashing out at him." He motioned to his face, smiling sadly as he continued. "This actually happened when he first got here. Some of the other prisoners jumped me and caught me off guard. If it hadn't been for him, I'd probably have ended up losing the rest of my face."

"Wow." Kurotsuchi whispered. All traces of an act vanished as genuine admiration took root. Kurotsuchi had met with many less then friendly members of society, yet she'd only heard of people who were like him. "So, do you know his real name?"

"Rock Lee." Iruka said immediately, his eyes widening as he realized his slip. "Uh, I mean – don't tell _anyone_ I told you that!"

Kurotsuchi nodded, smiling lightly at the small bit of info she'd finally been given. She didn't need to hold it over Iruka's head; just use it to start up a conversation with Goken – Lee. Mulling it over, she decided she liked his name better as Lee; it just seemed to fit him better.

"Well, uh, that was…fun." Iruka said, looking rather crestfallen by his slip up.

Kurotsuchi gave him a light jab to the side. "Cheer up! You were just so busy teaching me stuff, you got distracted." Tapping her chin thoughtfully, she added, "You know, you should be a teacher."

"I want to be." Iruka muttered, rubbing his forehead lightly. "But to be a teacher, I'd have to get approval, and even then I'd have to take the Special Jonin Exam before I could even think of it, and there's no way I'd want to take it anyways."

"Why not? I think you'd do pretty good."

Iruka scratched his cheek. "I'm not up to the standards I set for myself. I'll get there someday. Until then though, I'll continue coming down here." Coming around the corner, both now once again arriving in the dinning area, Iruka clapped his hands together. "Ah good, we're back. Go sit down, I've got an announcement."

Kurotsuchi nodded, scurrying off to the side. Clapping his hands again, louder this time, Iruka began getting everyone's attention. "Everyone, it's that time of the year again. The annual Special Jonin Examination's has arrived."

"Excellent! Who's the poor sap who gets to come and fight on our level?" One of the men shouted, getting a roar of approval from the rest of the group.

"I bet it's one of those kid geniuses they keep having. I swear those brats get shorter every year."

"Oh, oh! Maybe it'll be a chick this year! They never send any hot girls down here." Another man said, sparing Kurotsuchi a brief glance. "No offense."

Iruka tapped his foot patiently, hearing a flurry of other ideas being bounced around the room for several moments. Slowly losing his fragile grip on his patience, he snapped. Unconsciously channeling chakra to his head, it suddenly appeared as though it expanded to the point he was towering over everyone. "QUIET!"

Silence immediately reigned throughout the room, every man there staring at the usually soft spoken chunin with disbelieving eyes. Content at having silenced them, he continued. "As you might already be aware, this is normally chosen by drawing lots from a sealed container. Whoever gets the marked lot would have to fight in the arena in order to get their promotion. They would arrive in a week's time, and then you and they would fight to the death."

From in her corner, Kurotsuchi's eyes widened in understanding. If what she was hearing was right, there was a possibility he'd have to fight one of the friends he'd made down in the arena.

Iruka continued. "However, there was something different that happened this time. When the drawing was called, someone stepped forward and volunteered to go into the arena to fight…tomorrow even."

A quiet murmur began to spread through the room, disbelief all around. One man, the first one who'd greeted Iruka, stepped forwards. "Who is the one who stepped forwards? Who are we going to have to fight?"

Iruka was silent for a moment. Then, "Mizuki."

Kurotsuchi glanced around the room in confusion as she tried to understand what was going on as the room fell silent. Most of the men looked at each other in disbelief, as though trying to confirm that they'd all heard right. It appeared to Kurotsuchi Mizuki was a rather strong opponent, and that none would wish to fight him.

Iruka shook his head. "Look, I know he's your friend, but this is serious! He wants to move up in the ranks, and maybe he wants to do so by proving to all of you that he is! To everyone!"

"He never needed to. We know he's strong, we've seen it. We don't need a public spectacle being made out of it."

"Yeah but –"

"I'll fight him."

All eyes turned to the speaker. Goken – or rather Rock Lee – stood in the hallway arch that led to the training room, a thin sheen of sweat running down his brow. Kurotsuchi perked up, marking that information away for later.

Lee looked at his fellow fighting slaves with an encouraging look. "If Mizuki wishes to prove himself to us and to the people who come to watch us, then I will bring my all. You know that I'm not one to hold back my all, and he will truly prove himself if he desires to defeat me."

"Goken, are you sure?" Iruka asked. He knew the answer, but hearing it from his own mouth would bring the final conformation he desired.

"Yes."

"Then I guess that'll be all, unless someone else has something they'd like to add?" Iruka asked with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. Seeing no one willing to say otherwise, Iruka sighed. "Alright. Well, g'night guys. I'm going to head back up."

Kurotsuchi watched Iruka walk back to the shaft he'd come down from, his steps seeming to reverberate through the shaft as he walked away. When she turned back to look for Lee, everyone else had already stood up and was making their way to their rooms. Sensing an opportunity, she quickly ran after him to the training room.

**-xxxxx-**

Despite its name, the training room didn't appear that spectacular. There were no weights, no bands, and nothing which the slaves could potentially utilize for escape should they have planned one. Instead, it had sand; lots and lots of sand.

And to an extent, it looked like it would work for them. In the center of the room, there was a long square box that rose to most people's waist, filled with sand to punch into and slowly harden one's hands. Off to the side, there was small pit of loose sand that one could use for rigorous exercises involving the lower body. There was a wall of beaten in sand in the left corner of the room that looked like it a had been badly abused by someone punching into it; the sand from above likely being loosed by each strike to replace the sand lost. And finally, there were several beaten pillars of hardened stand that could be used for forearms and leg training. This was where Kurotsuchi found Lee, slowly kicking away at a pillar.

"Two-fifty-two, two-fifty-three…" Lee chanted, striking his leg repeatedly against the pillar.

Kurotsuchi paused, a bit unsure of herself for a moment as she watched Lee focus on his workout with the same intensity he'd had when fighting. Like every kick was one that he needed; needed to fight, to win, to…something.

Remembering what she'd come here for, she shook her head and knocked on the door frame. "Excuse me."

"Two-eighty-seven…hello." Lee said, not taking his focus off the pillar as he continued to kick it.

Kurotsuchi's eye twitched, feeling like she was being ignored as Lee kept his attention on the pillar. Clearing her throat, she tried again. "Excuse me."

"Two-ninety…just a moment. I'm almost done." Lee said, his pace unwavering as he continued kicking.

Kurotsuchi tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for him to finally stop. When he hit three hundred – the number she presumed he'd been counting to – she stepped forwards. Almost as soon as he said three hundred though, he stomped his foot down, let loose a loud roar and struck the pillar. Kurotsuchi jumped in shock, a chunk of the pillar skidding across the floor from the force of his blow.

Taking a few calming breaths, Lee turned to Kurotsuchi, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "Ah, it's…uh." Lee scratched his cheek thoughtfully. "I-I don't believe we've been introduced."

"No, we haven't." Kurotsuchi said, trying to force a smile through the brief bit of terror she'd experienced. "I'm Kurotsuchi."

Lee nodded. "I'm Goken."

"Right, Goken." Kurotsuchi mumbled, almost calling him by his real name. Considering the situation, she figured it probably would probably be too formal and rather impolite to call him by his real name.

To her surprise, Lee sighed and palmed his face. "Iruka-san told you my real name, didn't he?"

"Eh? How'd you know that?" Kurotsuchi said, shocked that he already knew. Had he somehow been stalking her?

"He tells all the girls my age my real name." Lee replied, gripping the edge of the sand box. "I think he feels I need to form connections with others my age, and that getting a girlfriend wouldn't hurt either."

"He does?" Kurotsuchi asked, leaning against the wall across from him.

Lee shrugged. "I guess. There've been at least five other girls that have come and talked to me for some reason, and all of them knew my real name." Lee paused, quickly amending his statement. "I mean, they knew after he came by. And normally they addressed me by my real name when they entered here." Turning his gaze to the sand before him, he began striking the sand as he spoke. "So, why are you here?"

"I was curious about your strength." Kurotsuchi said, watching as he continued to hit into the sand.

"Curious? I would think it would be obvious how I got so strong." Lee said, his hands still beating a steady beat into the sand.

Kurotsuchi shook her head. "That's just it. I've been here the last three days, and no one has bothered coming here for too long. You on the other hand are gone from all the places people normally meet, and so far I haven't been able to find you until I checked in here." She crossed her arms across her chest, affixing Lee with a stern gaze. "So tell me Lee, because I'm curious; what is it that drives you to become stronger?" Feeling the twitch from earlier coming back, she snapped at him. "And would you stop doing that and listen to me!"

Lee's beat stopped, his left hand halfway buried into the sand with the other in a ready position. With his head down, Kurotsuchi couldn't see his expression. The dark intent that slowly began to ooze off him though, was palpable. He took a slow breath, pulling his hand from the sand. With another roar, he brought his hand down on the side of the box; a fist sized chunk of hardened sand turning back to loose dust from the force of the blow. Once again, Kurotsuchi jumped in surprise.

Lee took another deep breath, turning to face Kurotsuchi fully for the first time. "I'm sorry, I'm not…I'm not well right now."

"Okay." Kurotsuchi said, staring at the chunks that now lay on the floor. "You can be angry, that's cool."

Lee shook his head. "No it's not, not when I lash out at others." Lee shook his hand, walking to the other side of the box. Kurotsuchi fidgeted under his gaze, knowing fully that the box had been the only thing between them, and now it was gone. "The upcoming match against Mizuki is…troubling to say the least. He's our friend."

Kurotsuchi nodded, remembering how everyone else had reacted. "I-I get that. I mean, who wouldn't like –"

"You never met him." Lee chuckled. "You've only been here three days, remember?"

Kurotsuchi blushed at having been caught. "Oh, right."

"It's alright." Lee said cheerfully. His tone lost some of its cheerfulness as he continued. "It's probably best you didn't know him though. There was always something about him that seemed off. Like whenever he'd speak to some of the guys, he seemed like he was trying to get close to them for some reason or another." Tapping the side of the box he thought of something. "Most were former Sunagakure shinobi who'd attempted to betray Suna; ones with whom he could get ninjutsu advice on once he got them to trust him. It's probably easier then waiting to learn them later."

"Tell me about it." Kurotsuchi said, rubbing her arm. Noticing the confused glance Lee was giving her, she nervously explained. "I-I was a former Suna shinobi. But some of my friends started leaving, and I felt what they were trying to fight for was right."

Lee blinked owlishly. "Eh?"

Kurotsuchi leaned around the corner, biting her lip hesitantly. "Okay, I already know you're not a shinobi, since you don't have the seal on your arm every other shinobi here has –"

"Seal?"

"And you don't seem to hold too much resentment for anyone here." Kurotsuchi continued, ignoring Lee's confusion. "So I wanted to know if you'd help me." Biting her lip, she quickly bowed to him. "Please teach me how to fight!"

Lee rubbed his shoulder, thinking it over for a second. "No."

"I promise I'll do whatever – wait, what?" Kurotsuchi snapped up. "But, why?"

Lee sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Because I volunteered to fight Mizuki. If I lose, I'll be dead. If I win…" Lee grinned. "I'll be shipped off to either the Oashisu (Oasis) or Junsui (True) Sectors of Kaze no Kuni (Land of Wind). From there, I should be able to get the Kazekage's attention, and find…"

Kurotsuchi leaned forward, waiting for him to finish. When his eyes maintained their glazed look, she tapped his shoulder. "Uh, find what?"

"Not what, who." Lee replied, clenching his fist in barely concealed rage. Stepping away from Kurotsuchi, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, I've got to go."

Kurotsuchi watched him leave, blinking uncertainly for a moment. When she got her head together, she rushed after him. However, despite her spending the better part of her night looking, checking nearly every room throughout the night, she didn't find him. She didn't see Lee again until the next morning, right as he walked out to confront this Mizuki she was hearing about.

**-xxxxx-**

Mizuki stood onto of the wall of the arena, staring down into the pit with a smirk. "It's a wonder no one else thinks to do this. Bunch'a idiots."

"Are you sure about this Mizuki-san? I mean, this is a first for everyone."

"Of course I'm sure. The fact that this is a first just means I'll have to make a bigger show of it." Mizuki replied confidently.

"Of course Mizuki-san. Perhaps though, the more surprising event is that a slave stepped forward to face you. That is also a first."

"Che, it doesn't matter. I took the time to as many of them as I came across, to figure out their strengths and weaknesses. Nowadays it's so instinctual I can pinpoint and strike an opponent's weak points before they even know I'm aware of them." Mizuki replied. Glancing over to the other person in the room, he raised an eyebrow. "Like how I know that while you can hold your own in a physical battle, and your style is close combat, you don't rely on actual strength. Isn't that right Kabuto-san?"

"Very intuitive." Kabuto said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Perhaps you will indeed be capable to take on the one who calls himself Goken."

"Rock Lee, the idiot. Naming himself after the Goken (Strong Fist) fighting style." Mizuki chuckled. "We'll see just how well he lives up to that once I'm through with him."

Kabuto gave Mizuki a nod, moving to the side to allow Mizuki to pass by him. "Good luck Mizuki-san. The Kazekage (Wind Shadow) will be interested in hearing about your match. He's expecting great things from you."

"Of course he does." Mizuki said smugly, quickly stepping out and skidding down the wall towards the pit below.

Kabuto grinned, running through a short string of hand seals. "Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique)."

The other image of him took shape, and Kabuto had it walk out into the center of the arena. Channeling chakra to his throat, he began the announcement. "Thank you for coming to this event, ladies and gentlemen. Now please help me give a warm welcome to today's challenger, Mizuki!"

Mizuki smirked as he hit the floor of the pit, Kabuto's voice and the roar of the crowd sending a tremor of anticipation down his spine.

"And his now opponent! A slave just like any of the others, but after yesterday's match, you all have spread his name like fire. Please give it up, for The Beast!"

Mizuki glanced up to where Kabuto was standing, scoffing loudly. "You're kidding me. They gave him _another_ nickname?" He shook his head. "This is going to be so easy."

Across the pit, Lee stepped out of the normal entrance. Lee rolled his shoulders, going over his game plan. Unlike others, he had a different plan then the one everyone else had for him. One which would be a sucker punch to all who saw it. Grinning, he gave Mizuki a thumb up. "Good luck Mizuki-san."

"Yeah, like I need it."

"Let the fight begin!" Kabuto shouted.

Mizuki reached behind his back, loosening the strap that held two giant shuriken. Gripping the inner ring, he began channeling chakra across the length of it. Reeling back, he launched one across the stadium, lightning arcing violently as it sped forwards.

Lee rushed forwards, keeping low to the ground. When the shuriken was nearly within striking range he dived forward, up and over the incoming shuriken. As he was halfway across, a large fireball barreled across the sand and slammed into him.

Mizuki grinned, almost assured that the fireball would take care of it. Not even a moment later though, Lee dove out of the flames completely unharmed. Cursing under his breath, he went through the seals again. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Grand Fireball Technique)!"

Lee didn't bother masking his cursing, shouting it loudly as he dove to the side. Once he got to his feet he took off running so as to put more distance between them. While it wasn't the smartest move, he needed a moment to assess the situation.

Mizuki frowned, watching Lee get farther and father away. He considered throwing a few shuriken at him, or even another jutsu, but he wanted to end it in a way that would let him be one hundred percent certain of his victory. Taking a step back, he began plotting his next move.

Lee recognized what Mizuki was doing and smirked. One of the biggest weaknesses of people who utilized ninjutsu was that they had to go over the many possible techniques they had and had to determine the situation to use them in. Taijutsu on the other hand, was far more straightforward; the only difference was in technique.

Digging his foot into the sand, he changed direction sharply back towards Mizuki. Seeing the startled face was worth it, even if Mizuki was quick to bounce back and prepare a counterattack. Zigzagging across the sand, he exploded into a leap over Mizuki.

Mizuki growled, channeling pure lightning chakra across his back. Lee narrowed his eyes but continued on with his strike, his fist burying itself into the small of Mizuki's back. With a loud clap of the lighting turning in on itself, Lee was thrown back, the entire upper left side of his body going numb. On the other hand, Mizuki stumbled forward, a startlingly large amount of pain shooting through him. Had Lee's fist hit him full on, he may have broken something.

Ignoring the pain, he whipped out a pair of kunai with an exploding tag attached to the ends. Not bothering to throw them, he rushed into close-quarters combat, utilizing his kunai with skill that few else possessed, or had thought of.

Lee, while inexperienced in most shinobi matters, knew what an exploding tag was and the damage it could cause. The problem he was currently facing though, was that whenever he thought Mizuki was open from a wild swing and move in for the end blow, the exploding tag from the other tag would suddenly be in his face and he'd back off. Despite ducking and dodging in hopes he didn't get killed by explosion, Mizuki landed multiple cuts across Lee's arms and back. Realizing he had the advantage now, he pressed on, landing a rather serious gash across Lee's chest, too close to his neck for comfort.

Realizing he'd have to risk it, Lee ducked under Mizuki's next wild strike. Ignoring the exploding tag in his face, he launched his fist into Mizuki's gut, getting a rather satisfying whoosh of air as he knocked him off his feet and back a few yards. His satisfaction faded fast, as the tags Mizuki had previously been holding were now hissing, and burning down quickly.

Mizuki slowly picked himself up as the exploding tags went off. Thus far, he'd taken two hits, and figured that it was worth it. He'd landed a dozen or more cuts, and with the last explosion, at least clipped Lee. And with Lee's left arm still numb, he probably hadn't realized that his arm had been reacting slower then he thought it was, and was now sporting at least six marks.

From within the smokescreen picked up by the tags, Lee stumbled backwards. Coughing loudly, he cursed exploding tags under his breath. If Mizuki pulled that trick a second time, he'd be ready for it; but since Mizuki had been constantly changing up his methods, he had to either keep on his toes, or end it now.

Lee wasn't really the patient sort.

"Yosh! I am exploding with the Springtime of Youth!" Lee shouted, pushing his pain to the back of his mind and he brought his feet together and held out his right arm, thumb raised high in the air like a sort of salute. The stance was one many knew, the ever terrifying phenomena known only, as the 'Nice Guy Pose'. "Truly you have come far on your youthful journey! I am honored for both of us to have volunteered in our own youthful manner to be each others opponents in this opportune match up. I apologize for not bring forth my all from the beginning, but I had to be certain that you were truly ready to face me at full strength."

Mizuki blanched, feeling his leftover breakfast coming back to haunt him. _'It's almost like seeing one of Maito Gai's speeches in person. Oh, I feel nauseous.'_ Picking up on his last sentence, all thoughts of rising bile were pushed aside as he snarled. _'He's been holding back? Well, I'll show him what a mistake that was!'_

"Ninpo: Kage Shuriken no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Shadow Shuriken Technique)!" Mizuki shouted, throwing a handful of small shuriken at Lee.

"Yosh!" Lee shouted, his teeth sparkling in the sun as he raced into the hailstorm of spinning death.

Ducking and weaving through the mess of metal, Lee began to slowly but surely slide back into the old style. Heavy footed, yet stronger then the sandstone he broke on a regular basis, he felt his heartbeat begin beating faster and faster, becoming a drumbeat in his ears as he got through the last of the shuriken and spun into a specific stance. With his right arm forwards, his feet spaced shoulder width apart and perpendicular to one another, and his other arm tucked into the small of his back. One of the battle ready starting positions of Goken.

Mizuki, not wasting his time, had quickly begun pulling off his second giant shuriken. With it in hand, he manipulated and gathered his remaining lightning chakra to his hand, sticking his fist through the giant ring in the shuriken. While not Jiton, his lightning had enough of an electric charge to make the shuriken do exactly what he wanted it to do; spin wildly around his arm.

Lee's oversized eyebrows shot up into his already obscuring hairline in surprise, having never seen a technique performed like that before. Mizuki simply smirked. "Raiton: Rakurai no Jutsu (Lighting Release: Bolt of Lightning Technique)."

Rushing forward with the crackling blade of spinning death around his arm, Mizuki grinned in triumph. While it didn't look impressive compared to the wide scaled attacks some other shinobi had, this was something he'd created. It was also the most lethal due simply to the unpredictability of it.

Lee, understanding that this would be their last clash, met the rush with one of his own. When there was less then a few yard between them though, Mizuki thrust his arm forwards, the shuriken easily slipping off his arm and launching towards Lee. Traveling vertically, the lightning from the edges that struck the ground began turning the sand to glass as it rushed forwards.

Despite the danger, and the necessity to panic, Lee was calm. Knowing better then to jump over it, he dove to the side. Midway through his rolling to his feet however, Mizuki tackled him, pinning him to the ground with his face in the sand so he couldn't easily counterattack. With him pinned down, Mizuki gripped the back of Lee's hair and forced his face down into the sand.

Struggling for breath, and running out of time, Lee wrapped his legs around Mizuki's midsection. Kicking upwards, he sent the special jonin hopeful into the air for a second, giving Lee a brief window to flip to his feet. Seeing Mizuki not responding, Lee scrambled after him.

Mizuki held ribs, feeling an odd discomfort he hadn't felt since he was a kid and had been struck by a bandit and broken a rib. Realizing he'd been injured, he attempted to train his furious gaze on Lee. Before he could though Lee had slid to his side, getting behind him and wrapping his arm tightly around his throat in a sleeper hold.

Physically tired and running low on chakra from using techniques that placed a strain on his body, his struggle against the hold was weak. Kicking and attempting to loosen Lee's grip was futile, as the far more physically capable young man held firm. His world fading, he had one last glimpse of Lee's remorseful face before he blacked out.

Lee released Mizuki the moment he was certain he'd fallen unconscious. Quickly placing his hand on the side of his neck, he checked tentatively for a pulse. Finally feeling his pulse, still going strong, he stood up to face the crowd.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Kabuto asked, his Bunshin staring down into the arena. "Finish him!"

Lee stared up at Kabuto's form, his gaze hard as he firmly spoke – his voice enhanced by Kabuto for all to hear. "I won't do such an unyouthful thing."

The crowd went wild, shouting and screaming for Mizuki's death. Despite his prestige, his rank, and even the fact he was a member of Sunagakure's shinobi force, the people shouted on for his demise. It appeared to be enhanced further, due to the fact that Lee, one of the unruly slaves, was once again defying them.

"I see." Kabuto said; making a vague motion Lee couldn't discern from his position. "Are you certain of your choice?"

"I am in my Springtime of Youth." Lee declared. "I will NOT let myself do what I do not wish to do."

Kabuto nodded. "I admire that in you. However, you're going to have to go to sleep now."

Lee never stood a chance, the dart striking him in the neck before he had a chance to register the threat. The sleeping agent took effect quickly, forcing his eyes into the back of his head as he fell to the earth, several shinobi picking him and Mizuki up to bring back to the top of the arena. The only difference in treatment was that as soon as they got their hands on Lee, they placed a collar with a sealing array written on the back to prevent him from doing much of anything as they moved him back up.

Kabuto turned to the audience, addressing them with a false cheerfulness. "Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you enjoyed yourselves today for this special treat. I do hope you'll remember to come to the next one. Good bye."

Cancelling his Bunshin technique, he quickly began backing away from his viewpoint, hearing the loud shouts from the audience behind him. Ignoring them, he gripped a scroll that rose to his waist and unfurled it quickly. Kneeling in the center of the scroll, he channeled chakra into it and was enveloped by a burst of smoke.

**-xxxxx-**

A man hidden behind the veil commonly worn by the Kazekage, wearing a hat quite similar to the Kazekage's but with the kanji for 'Minami (South)' instead of 'Kaze', tapped his fingers gently against his armrest. "So Mizuki failed to kill the slave?"

"Yes Kazekage-sama." Kabuto reported, having summoned himself to the scroll in his personal room to quickly report on what had just transpired. "We've decided to send him to the Junsui Sector, to be seen before the elders as to what to do in this unprecedented case."

The Kazekage shook his head, getting a glance of curious anticipation from Kabuto. "There's no need for that. The answer is quite obvious. He doesn't desire to kill people, but you've mentioned he's more then willing to crush animals with his bare hands. Send him to the Oashisu Sector, near the border. Somewhere where his lack of true bloodlust, but desire to fight can be put to good use for us."

Kabuto nodded, his mind going over the different area's he could send Lee. "There's Kousa. With the tournament being held, there will likely be others who will want to see brawls rather then the bloodbaths we hold here. After all, one can't bet money on seeing a champion return to their position if said man is dead."

"Yes, quite true." The Kazekage chuckled, pulling out a file from within his robe. "As for Mizuki, please inform him that he's been promoted to special jonin, pending the presentation of his vest."

"You're promoting him? But he lost his match."

The Kazekage nodded. "True, but the sting of that lose will drive him to become stronger. And with how things along the Kaminari no Kuni boarder are looking, we'll need people with the urge to become stronger faster, if we're to defend ourselves." The Kazekage leaned forward, his eyes piercing over his veil angrily. "Do not question my judgment."

Kabuto bowed. "Of course Kazekage-sama. It will be done."

* * *

><p>AN: I don't know how the Roman's and their gladiators came into my head to make this, but I like it!<p>

Lee, ah Lee. He, Shino, and many others, are characters I feel there should be more of in Kishi's stuff. And, since I'm already going to be focusing more on Shino in Word of Honor, I can focus more on Lee here!

I thought about adding a girl to the three introductions, to do it kind of like the Soul Eater intro, but then realized that all the girls I would want to follow had already been mentioned; Sakura, Ino, Tenten, and Hinata. Of course, you all won't recognize the small references until later, but when you do, you'll understand that I _DID_ reference all of them in these past couple of chapters (Sakura and Ino are more obvious. If you guess Tenten or Hinata, I'll mention your name in the chapter that is their epic reveal).

Kurotsuchi is now another name to add to the short list of characters that I've spontaniously added, though she was less spontanious then Roshi. I needed someone who'd be looking to get stronger and be willing to speak to Lee to get him to talk a bit to shadow some new backstory and give him some extra 'character flesh', and after looking over her personality and figuring that in my universe anything was possible, I went with it. And it's WORKING. Shame Lee's gonna be taken away from Kurotsuchi before she can get trained. Oh well, not my problem.

With both Iwagakure and Konohagakure destoryed by nature, I figured a few people would now be rolled into Sunagakure's forces who would have been in Konoha. Wanting to make the best of it, you can now see that Iruka and Mizuki are making the scene. And for some reason, I made Mizuki a special joinin...huh, that's something I don't think I've seen anyone do before. Better still, Mizuki will likely be a reoccuring character/antagonist. Don't worry, I'll kill the fool eventually; even if he is more powerful and smarter then his cannon counterpart. The only question is how. Hm...if you guys want to give me ideas, I'm all ears. What form of demise do you think my Mizuki is currently worthy of? (if you want to see him dead at all [_that_ would be an interesting twist]_)_

A pattern I noticed that I didn't realize 'til I was halfway through this chapter; 1 character in chapter 1 (Naruto), 3 characters introduced in chapter 2 (Sasuke, Itachi, and Roshi) and 5 characters introduced in chapter 3 (Lee, Kurotsuchi, Iruka, Mizuki, and Kabuto). Not inteneded, but totally worth it!

Final recap: Naruto is headed towards the Kaminari boarder, Sasuke and Itachi are headed to Kousa for a gambling tournament, and Lee is getting shipped to Kousa for a fighting thing. What are the odds they'll all meet up? (chuckles at evil plot that none of you know is coming)

That's wrap for now. Peace, and onto more Word of Honor until I return! (2 year wait for an update on this...yeah)


	4. Chapter 4: City of Vices

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or the other vague items I reference.

* * *

><p><strong>Naruto Shippuden: Desert Assassin<strong>

Arc 1: Casino Clash

_Chapter 4: City of Vices_

Kousa. The city of the golden sands. A hotspot for gambling of all sorts to take place, and where the illegal in any other place was common practice for most people. For anyone who went there, it was a 'last stop' where they'd lose the more part of their money before they laid themselves to rest. This included a surprising number of shinobi, who were simply too tired from the amount of duty and the stress of their jobs.

For those just passing through, it was a strange sight. To those who passed through on multiple occasions, it was a place wherein they could satisfy their personal vices. It didn't matter who you were, they had something for everyone.

Bars, casinos, geisha houses, and clubs of all sorts lined the streets. While sand may not have appeared as a suitable building material to some, it allowed for buildings to rise up higher then in most casual cities; some of the taller sand buildings went up as far as eight to ten stories. Besides the sand though, there were also a dozen wooden structures. They rose us even higher then the sand structures, drawing attention to those who first entered the city.

On the streets though, despite the reputation of the city, there was a semblance of order that was headed by a combination of the strong police force that was constantly on alert for any potential threat, and the underground side venues that had people keeping their noses clean so as to not get caught.

At the moment, carried throughout the chaotic scene of carriages and travelers, there was a single person who remained unmoving. Despite the powerful flow around him, he stood resolute, adjusting his hat as he looked onwards. After all, no one could move Uzumaki Naruto when he didn't want to be moved.

At the moment though, Naruto was having troubles of a different sort. For if he wanted to travel to Kaminari no Kuni without the necessary passports, Naruto had found that he'd have to travel through Kousa. Since he wasn't what would be considered a 'legal citizen' of Kaze no Kuni, he didn't have any way of getting said passports. Not legally at least. And since he'd had some experience with getting passports through illegal channels before, and the results…hadn't been pretty, he found that this was his only option.

Now he stood in front of one of his own personal vices, staring in with a slight twitch as he went over the pros and cons of going in.

"Log help me, this is hard." Naruto muttered, rubbing his forehead in exasperation. He'd been standing in the same spot for nearly a half hour, simply contemplating. "I swear I've been perfectly fine until the last city I went too. And the worst part is if I don't go in now, I'm going to regret it later tonight. Then again, I haven't had enough ramen to help keep me sane. So if I go now, I can excuse it because of how pricey ramen is here." Shaking his head, he laughed hollowly. "Yeah, because I'm so desperate for an excuse. I just want to do _something_."

Naruto took a step back, barely avoiding a cart as it raced on behind him. Naruto mumbled a curse as he stumbled forwards. Glancing behind himself, he rolled his eyes as the driver of said cart shouted obscenities back at him. Everyone was the same in this city; angry and constantly jumping down each others throats.

"Man, that was nuts." Naruto muttered, returning to face forward. "Well, I guess there's nothing too it. Onwards and forwards!" Punching his fist into the palm of his opposite hand, he nodded. "Don't give up until the end. Never forget that, and nothing will be impossible."

Naruto strolled into the building, putting behind him the worries he'd had seconds before. He planned on making the most of this, and nothing was going to get between him.

**-xxxxx-**

"Are we there yet?"

"No Sasuke."

Sasuke huffed, the heat of the sun bearing down on him. While he would never admit it, he loved the feeling of the heat. He was sweating like a pig, but it was still an awesome feeling. "How 'bout now?"

Itachi's eyebrow twitched in aggravation. "No." Turing to Sasuke, he leveled his glare onto him in its full intensity. "Ask me again, and see what happens."

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when he remembered the last time he'd provoked Itachi. The incident had forced him to recognize Itachi for the creative genius he was. He also had to bow out due to the fact he now knew better then to continue this game. Itachi knew strange people, and said people were scary since they had a wide variety of skills to utilize.

Seeing Sasuke back down, Itachi gave him a small nod. "That's what I thought. Now we need to focus. Now that we're here at the Sabure Hokousha caravan, we can get some of our money, and I can get confirmation."

Sasuke nodded. Seeing a small tent with what appeared to be a wooden plaque with a sword-like logo on it, he dug in his heels and turned towards it, holding up his sword as he went. "Later aniki. I'm gonna see if I can learn how to use this right."

Itachi nodded, watching Sasuke walk off into the shop. Shaking his head, he turned in the opposite direction, heading towards a tent that had a plaque with a picture of a bird holding a pear in its claws. The Gokurakuchou (Bird of Paradise)was a popular bar for people passing through the caravan, and was filled with a wide variety of people. For Itachi, there was only one person he was looking for.

Ducking into the bar, he searched the room slowly, carefully taking in as much of the place as he could. The bar was a simple as it came, though admittedly there was a lot to see. Mainly, there were many lovely women to look at, taking orders and delivering food to the customers. While he couldn't see them, he knew from past experience that the cooks were also lovely women.

He gently rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I come to these places way too much."

"Oh, Itachi-dono!" One of the older girls shouted, waving him down. As he drew near, she leapt forwards and embraced him. "It's so good to see you again! How are you?"

"I'm fine Yuri-chan." Itachi said, lightly hugging her back. After a couple of seconds, he gently pushed her away. "You're still as mischievous and clingy as ever I see."

Pulling his hand from behind her, he waved his pocketbook in front of her face. Yuri blushed at having been caught. She ran a hand through her hair nervously, sidling up to Itachi. "So, why are you in this neck of the woods? Don't you normally stay in areas that are more, flammable?"

Itachi glanced around, noting that business was booming for the day and that there wasn't much privacy out in the open like they were. Knowing what he was going to ask for wasn't something that he wanted anyone else knowing what he was asking for. Motioning for her to lead him to somewhere more private, he allowed himself to be lead off. Once in the more private back room, he sat down. "I need information. This information you might be privy to, what with the several side businesses your companions in Kousa have."

Yuri sighed, plopping herself down next to Itachi. "It figures you'd come for something like that. You never come to enjoy the finer parts of our establishment."

"You know why I can't do that." Itachi said, his expression not flinching.

"Yeah I know. You remind me every time you come here and I say that, and then tell me that you want to at least attempt to get Sasuke a girlfriend." Batting her eyelashes, she grinned impishly. "I could just take him into another room and make a man out of him here and now."

"Don't you dare." Itachi hissed, his hand reflexively shooting to his kunai holster.

Yuri held up her hands defensively, knowing better then to continue provoking Itachi. "Relax Itachi-dono, I won't do that until you want me to."

Itachi slowly pulled his hand away from his kunai holster, taking a breath to keep himself from attacking Yuri. "Good. Now, details."

Yuri nodded. "Yes Itachi-dono. What would you like to know?"

Itachi drummed his fingers against the arm of his chair, thinking over what he wanted to know. "What is the prize for the tournament in Kousa?"

Yuri giggled. "Which one? There are so many different tournaments in Kousa, you'll have to be more specific."  
>"The high stakes gambling tournament that's coming up."<p>

"Oh, that one." Yuri quickly sobered, remembering the information she'd received about said tournament. "Well, the first thing you need to know is that the tournament is that it's being held by Gato Industries. They have a habit of picking up things that no one else seem to be able to get a hold of otherwise, and then turn around and sell it for outrageous prices."

Itachi nodded. "I've had several encounters with them in the past. They've have the strangest assortment of items I've ever come across before. Mainly artifacts from every country ever founded." His eyes narrowed subtly. "I heard he's come across several items from when Konohagakure was around."

"Well, whatever they've found, they're keeping it under wraps. No one from Gato's company that has access comes to the Gokurakuchou in Kousa, so we haven't heard anything more then speculation."

"And what are people speculating it is?" Even though they might not be true, the guesses would give him an idea of what everyone else would believe it was, and how hard they might fight for it.

"Most people believe it's a weapon of some sort. The kind of thing that could shift the already teetering balance of power between Suna and Kumo." Yuri gave Itachi a look, knowing what she said next would get his attention. "Others say it's a relic from the _noble_ clans Konohagakure had gathered together."

Itachi's head snapped up, a scowl marring his face. He knew of a multitude of different artifacts that hadn't been taken from what was left of Konoha, though even he didn't know where they were at. If Gato had somehow found one of them, and was giving it away to a winner of some gambling tournament meant nothing good. His mind raced as something didn't make sense to him. "If it's something like a weapon, something that must have been difficult to find, then why go and give it away to a bunch of random gamblers?" Itachi stopped tapping the armrest of his chair, a new idea coming to him. "Unless…yes that would make sense."

Yuri blinked in confusion. "What?"

Itachi chewed on his lip, thinking over his new direction. "What's the buy in amount to get into the tournament?"

"One hundred thousand yen."

Itachi nodded. "Bodyguards?"

"Just a shadow to take their place should 'something' happen to the person. But then that shouldn't be saying much since those sort of people are rarely used." Yuri raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why do you need to know that?"

"Because this is a very special gambling match." Itachi mumbled, the pieces falling into place.

Gato was notorious for hiring small groups to do his dirty work, who would then go missing. He had a constantly tight hold over his pocketbook, and wouldn't simply part with anything for free. If what he was setting up was what Itachi thought it was, then the place where this was going to take place was going to eventually turn into a potential bloodbath.

Getting to his feet, Itachi gave Yuri a small bow. "Thank you for the information Yuri-chan."

"Don't mention it." Yuri said, leaning back into her seat with a perplexed expression, uncertain of what Itachi had determined. As Itachi began to leave, she shouted after him. "Kasumi came by on the way to Kousa."

Itachi paused in midstride, his mind coming to a halt. "Oh?"

Yuri grinned coyly. "I was told to tell you, that you were to meet at the Sakura Hotel. Said something about there being a special surprise too."

Itachi, his eyes still forwards, nodded to let her know he'd heard her. As he began to leave though, she noticed his arm move up to his face, likely to pinch the bridge of his nose. Yuri giggled. "Itachi-dono is so easy to tease. And the surprise should prove to be…surprising."

**-xxxxx-**

A trio of Suna shinobi sat in the shade of a quickly raised wall, a fourth person standing in the middle of them. The three men were tired and sweaty from their long walk; having not stopped for a break before seeing the outskirts of Kousa since they'd left the Oashisu Sector. Their companion, with bare chest and normally paler complexion with a rope around his neck, was now sporting a painful looking sunburn all across his chest.

"How much further do you think it'll be before we make it to Kousa?" One of the men asked, gently patting down his forehead after removing his hiate.

The second man took a quick sip of water, looking out from the shade of the wall to check their position. "I'd say we're about…a mile away?" Turning to the third member, and only girl of the group, he tossed her his water. "You've always been better at judging distances. What do you think?"

"A mile and a half." She muttered without looking over the wall, taking a rather quick swig of the water. "I'd say that we'll make it in the next hour, since this guy seems particularly eager to move."

The second man sent a fleeting glance to the fourth person, scowling as he turned away. "I swear I've never met someone like this guy. He almost seems eager to get to the city."

The girl shrugged. "He's likely just trying to do the sane thing and get out of this blistering sun." Heaving a sigh, she gently began fanning herself. "I do swear for a breeze."

"I don't." The first man said, all the while keeping his eyes trained on his female companion.

When she finally took notice of his staring, she growled at him. "If you don't take your eyes off my chest, I'm going to take your eyes off my chest personally." Leaning forwards, her mouth twisted further into a scowl. "Do _not_ make me ask you again."

Laughing rather reluctantly, he pushed himself to his feet to try and distract himself. Stretching himself out, he turned his attention back to their fourth companion. Raising an eye in confusion, he began edging towards him. "Hey guys, wasn't his rope closer to us a moment ago?"

The second man gave him a nod. "Yeah, why?"

"Because he's holding the end of the rope in his hands."

The girl scrambled to her feet, her eyes narrowed as she stood next to him. "That's not possible. With the collar on, he shouldn't have the mental capacity to cover for a sneeze, let alone pull rope back. Plus, slaves don't know anything about seals and counterseals."

"Well, he's holding it right now." The first man said as he took slow, deliberate steps closer to him. "What's this guy's name again? The…animal?"

"The Beast." The second man muttered, hastily pulling out a piece of paper. Scribbled across it was a list of fighters, and several names next to them. "I think his real name is…Goken? No, it's Lee. Rock Lee."

The first man rolled his eyes upon seeing the paper. "I don't care what is name is, we need the rope so we can keep moving."

Unknown to his three companions, Lee had experience in being 'collared' before he'd been taken from Minami Sector. After having been collared several times before, he'd taken the time to ask around to figure out what it was, and what it did to him. It had taken a bit of time, but eventually he'd found out that the sealing array was meant to shut down all conscious thought so that the collared person couldn't try and get away until the collar was removed. They left more subconscious actions like walking, breathing, and eating alone since that meant they could transport the person by simply leading them along, rather then making a big scene.

Taking that to heart, and remembering an old training method he'd been taught when he was younger, he begun training to the point he passed out while training. When he'd awakened, there had been several times he'd been in the middle of the very same workout he'd passed out doing. Then, he'd taken it a step further. He'd asked different people to attempt to fight him while he was asleep, making sure they were trying to physically harm him every time they did so. After months of training, he was finally read. For behind his delirious state, he had hidden an animal that would strike out should someone get just too close.

So, when the second man shouted out to the first man as he reached for the rope, it was too late.

Lee's hand reached out and caught the man's grip. Before he was able to react, a sharp twist and popping noise indicated that Lee had just broken his wrist. Crying out in pain, the man attempted to back away from Lee as the girl behind him cursed and began franticly attempting to remove something from her pouch.

Continuing forwards, he yanked on the man's arm, pulling him in close to better take him down. With a series of elbow strikes and a quick knee to his gut, the man fell to the ground, coughing and sputtering as he went. Still acting on autopilot, he let his knee fall and connect harshly with his head, knocking him out of the fight.

By that time, the girl had managed to grip and unwrap a length of cloth she had summoned while Lee had taken down her teammate. Moving deftly, she ran a length of her chakra down the cloth which began to animate it to form a form of shield around her. Spinning rapidly, she whipped the end of the cloth past Lee in an attempt to get into a position to trap him.

Unfortunately for her, while Lee had never had to face a challenge like she was now throwing at him, he was excellent at improvising and keeping on his toes. As the cloth began to wrap around him, he surged forwards, diving between a seemingly impossible gap created as the cloth circled him. Rolling to his feet, she found herself stumbling back and blocking with her cloth to avoid the vicious flurry of kicks as he gripped the ground in a handstand to rapidly beat down on her.

When she finally regained her balance to focus on a counterstrike, she made the mistake of wrapping the cloth loosely around her in a shell-like manner in an attempt to buy herself some time. Still completely unconscious, Lee dropped low to the ground and rolled beneath the cloth. Popping back to his feet, he fell literally head over heels before arching his back and slamming his forehead into her own. Dazed, and not expecting the strike, she quickly found her vision going black before she tripped over her cloth and passed out.

Lee remained where his head had last impacted; said impact beginning to stir what was left of his conscious state behind the collar. Reaching up almost hesitantly, he gripped the collar tightly. Then, with a sharp twist, the collar ripped in half and fell to his feet.

"Whoa." The final standing member of the Suna shinobi muttered, still pressed against the wall. A freshly minted chunin, he'd barely been able to see even a small portion of the entire match. Lee had lashed out so quickly and effectively, the young man felt a shiver of fear. "That was…wow."

Lee snapped his head towards the man, now fully awake and aware that he wasn't alone. Blurring forwards once more, he pressed his forearm against his throat and lifted him against the wall. If he was caught here, then everything he'd have done would have been for naught. He'd come too far to have them following after him now.

To his surprise, while fear was evident on his face, the man's face held more awe then any other emotion. "You're the real deal! Man, I thought they were pulling my leg when they said you could move like that." His breath coming out slightly raspy, he motioned to Lee's forearm. "Could you please? I like breathing."

Cautiously, Lee let up on the pressure. He didn't let the man fall to his feet just yet though, as he had some questions to ask still. "Where are we?"

"Uh, about a mile and a half from Kousa." The man replied, seemingly unperturbed by the fact he was being suspended in the air. "We were going to have you cycled through arenas and fight clubs. All ones where you won't be allowed to kill, since you apparently don't like to kill people."

"It is unyouthful to take a life when there are other options." Lee said, looking puzzled as to why he'd been sent to a place he'd actually fit into.

"Hey that's cool man. I don't kill either. Though, I've never really had to kill anyone before." He grimaced, his mind going over the morbid details he'd heard from other people when they'd described their own kills. "Then again, I don't do real well with that sort of stuff. I like being a messenger, or a delivery boy." He tilted his head to the side, a sad smile coming to his face. "But then again, all the people I know are shinobi. If I leave, I'll be alone."

Lee slowly let him down, feeling the man's pulse on his arm. It was odd to know he was being truthful, but then stranger things had happened. "I'm going now. I need to know where the closest village, that isn't Kousa, is from here."

The man blinked in confusion, slowly pointing in the direction of the first city that came to mind in terms of distance from Kousa. "Uh, there's Shoukyaku it's about a day's travel for shinobi, four for a civilian. Why?"

Lee brought the palm of his hand down sharply onto his forehead. "No reason." Walking around the wall, he began his trek to Kousa. "I just need you to lead everyone on a wild goose chase for a bit, to give me some time to find the city Gai-sensei told me to find." Looking to the sky, he grinned widely as he remembered where he was preparing to head off to. "Just you wait for me little town of Ranbatsu. Rock Lee is coming."

**-xxxxx-**

Sasuke groaned as he stumbled from side to side, the heat going to his head after the last three days of travel. "Oh man aniki, this journey totally sucked. Why'd we have to take the long way again?"

"To keep suspicion off of how we got here." Itachi replied.

Sasuke brought his hand to his neck, fiddling with his collar absentmindedly. "Okay, how about why we had to come in these ridiculous outfits then?"

Itachi raised an eyebrow, looking over their attire. He had on a khaki kimono, with a deep red shirt and obi to accentuate his clothes. His hair was in its usual slicked back manner, tied back in a ponytail that went to his mid back. All in all, he looked formal yet very comfortable.

With a small chuckle, he looked over what Sasuke was wearing. Unlike Itachi, he had on a black kimono with a red undershirt and obi; the obi wrapped snuggly around his waist in a way that allowed him easy access of his sword. When Itachi had explained what they were going to be doing, he'd figured that they'd only be wearing them once they got there. He hadn't expected Itachi to insist that they wear them into the city so as to attract people's attention to their 'status' so they wouldn't look out of place. As such, he'd had to bear with the heat. To his credit, Sasuke hadn't started complaining until they'd actually gotten with the city limits.

"I warned you that we were going to be traveling on foot to make an appearance. It was your own fault for wearing that." Itachi replied, slowly taking in the sights of the city. "And we're wearing these because we're entering the tournament."

Sasuke gave Itachi a deadpanned glare. "You're insane, you know that right? Seriously, do you know how to gamble?"

"…" Itachi kept his gaze averted, knowing full and well that the answer wasn't one he liked.

Sasuke scoffed, crossing his arms across his chest defiantly. "That's what I thought. Even if we get in, we won't know what we're doing, and sure as hell won't get through even the first round without some help." Grimacing, he jabbed a finger at his brother. "This is so not like setting a fire, and you know it."

Itachi said nothing for a moment as a small, out of the way building caught his attention. Raising an eyebrow, he grinned. "You're absolutely right Sasuke. We have no idea what we're doing."

"Yeah, that's what – huh?" Sasuke's eyes widened in confusion as he processed what Itachi had said. "Wait, I'm right?"

"Yes, you are."  
>Sasuke nodded slowly, before shaking his head. "There's a catch, isn't there?" Not getting an immediate response, he put his face in his hand. "I'm not gonna like this answer, am I?"<p>

"We need to call in an expert. And we both know only two people who are experts at this particular craft." Itachi said, walking to the building that had previously caught his attention. "And there's no way I'm asking Kasumi to take part in our business."

"But Kasumi's the better choice." Sasuke pleaded, following after Itachi. "I mean, we know and trust her, so we won't have to worry about covering our backs every two seconds."

"You're being overly dramatic." Itachi replied, flashing his Sharingan to put an illusion over the man who bared the way. After a moment, the man stepped to the side, allowing them to continue. "Besides, it's not like we'll be in bad hands. We can trust him."

Sasuke sulked in defeat, grumbling under his breath. "Easy for you to say, you know who we're looking for."

Itachi paused, taking in the scene before him. Despite the seemingly small exterior, the building seemed to house an extraordinarily large interior. There were a few people milled about lazily at the bar across the far wall, but for the most part, the rest were consolidated around a ring situated in the middle of the building. Hearing their shouts of triumph, he could only guess that something good was happening at the moment.

Turning back to Sasuke, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I said 'easy for you to say, you know who we're looking for'."

Itachi stared at Sasuke blankly for a moment, making Sasuke both uncomfortable and twitchy. Then, he slowly began to smile. "Oh? Is that so?"

If Sasuke hadn't been twitchy before, he certainly was now. There were very few times where Itachi had so outmatched Sasuke that he talked like he currently was. It was never a good thing.

"Well, I suppose I could give you a hint." Itachi replied cheerily. Hearing the bell go off, ironically the moment he noticed something he wanted to go get, he gave Sasuke a dismissive wave. "On the other hand, you're a big boy now. Watch the match for me; pocky calls me."

Seeing his brother take off, almost skipping to the pocky, he grumbled and moved to get a better view of whatever was supposed to be occurring here.

As he got himself situated, he turned to the man sitting next to him. "What's going on here?"

"It's unbelievable!" The man shouted to be heard over the roar of the crowd as something in the ring happened. "This guy, he walks right in and demands to take part in the ring. Says he'll go a hundred before the end of the week. Today he's at ninety-eight – " The roar cut him off for a second. "Sorry, ninety-nine."

Sasuke peaked over the crowd, trying to see what was happening. "A hundred what?"

"Fights boy, fights!" The man replied cheerily. "This new guy has gone for the last three days straight in the ring. No sleep, no food, and just splashes of water after each round. And yet he's still going strong!"

"Three days?" Sasuke asked skeptically.

He'd heard of fight clubs before, and while he'd never been to one previously, he knew the rules. Fight until knockout, and the matches are allowed as many breaks as the person needed. For someone to just go for _three days_ without a break meant only one thing to Sasuke; shinobi training.

Seeing a box on the ground that the man beside him had previously been using, he discreetly shuffled it in front of himself and stood on it. Cupping his hands around his eyes, he focused on the ring in an attempt to see who it was. After several painstaking moments of trial and error zooming in with a technique he'd accidently copied a few years previous, he finally got to where he could see as though he was standing in front of the ring. When he saw what was happening, he finally understood what Itachi was talking about.

His face twisted into a grin/grimace as he softly spoke. "I was so right; I do not like this." Dropping his hands, he shook his head. "But why did it have to be _him_ of all people?"

**-xxxxx-**

The roar of the crowd seemed somewhat distant as another fist came rushing into his gut. He let out a whoosh of air as he stumbled back, slamming into the wall. The disorientation left him, letting the crowds cheers hit him loudly once more to break him from his stunned state.

Naruto grinned as he leaned against the wall. "Is that the best you got?"

The man in question didn't seem to take his playful banter very well, as he began a new vicious assault. Having already dealt with many berserkers previously, Naruto ducked and rolled behind the man, clapping mockingly as the man whirled from his place against the wall. Seeing the man rushing him again, he stepped into his charge, raising his arm to collide with the man's throat. Blinded by rage, the man struck his arm and went don't like he'd been hit a brick wall.

"And he's done it again!"

Naruto stepped back, waving his hands to the ever enthusiastic crowd. Seeing him waving, the crowd seemed to grow louder. While not why he'd come here, it was an added bonus in his eyes to hear them shouting for him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I've never seen such a beast grace my arena!" An announcer said, walking around the ring as he spoke into a microphone. "However, as you've all seen, he's won ninety-nine fights. For the hundredth, he's going to have to do a lot better then he's been doing now. So what do you think, should we bring in the big boys?"

The crowd roared, clapping and stomping their feet in a thundering manner. Naruto just looked around confused. "Wait, did he say 'guy_s_'?" Chewing on his lip, he shrugged and turned to his corner, tilting his head back patiently. After a couple of seconds, a pair of men began pouring a quick stream of water from outside the ring. Naruto quickly opened his mouth, trying to get as much of the water as he could in attempt to keep hydrated from what little water he could get.

As part of his own fighting style in the ring, Naruto wore only his faded pants. To the surprise of many, there were a series of scars that marred his body; one of which – a discolored scar that appeared to be either acid or poison made – was like the painful canvas wherein many of the others were later added. His clothes were in a locker to retrieve after he lost a fight; if he lost a fight. Thus far, he was on a roll, and was not planning on stopping any time soon.

"Alright then folks, it's time to let them loose." With a flourish, he pointed to the far end of the ring. "Been fighting here for the last ten years, with no sign of defeat, give it up for the Densetsu no Bakakyodai (Legendary Stupid Brothers)!"

Naruto resisted the urge to rub his face with his hands as he turned around when he heard their name. "Log I'm tired. There's no way there giving me a freebee after all they've put me through." Felling a small trembling in the ground, he frowned and looked down at his feet. When he saw the shadow lumbering towards him he growled and cursed under his breath. "…log damn it."

From the other side of the ring, two very large men strode forwards. Both had a striking resemblance; both large, wearing vests – though of different colors – that seemed to spike from the inner seam out. Both wore high tied ponytails hairstyles, but again with a slight difference; Raijin's portion of the ponytail was spiked, while Fujin had his in a tie running down his back. With large grins, they stepped into the ring, easily looming over Naruto's form.

Naruto slowly turned to the announcer, giving him a flat stare. "…this is it? These guys are the best you can throw at me?"

"Ladies and gentlemen, the final round! If he managed to defeat the unstoppable force of Fujin and Raijin after the last hundred matches he's been through, he'll win the coveted ten thousand yen grand prize!"

Fujin turned to Raijin, looking rather befuddled. "Nii-san, is that a lot?"

"I dunno." Raijin replied, looking just as perplexed as his brother. "I've never had that much of anything."

Turning to point to the three, the announcer shouted loudly. "Let the match…begin!"

Naruto wasted no time in his assault. Getting low to the ground, he brought his fist with as much power as he could possibly put behind it into Raijin's gut. To his astonishment, Raijin didn't budge, merely looked down at where Naruto's fist was placed in his gut. "Eh? What're ya doing?"

Naruto blinked up at the brother, a sudden understanding coming to him. This was _not_ going to be easy.

Before Naruto could say anything, Fujin held up his arms and began hooting. "Oh, oh! It's started, it's started!"

Raijin's eyes seemed to gleam, his gaze on Naruto turning far more lethal. "If we win, we get twice the food!"

Raising his arm, his wide grin returned. Naruto dug his feet into the ground, launching himself backwards. As Raijin's fist impacted the ground, Naruto realized that their size was a very good indication of their strength as his fist created a fist-sized crater. Stumbling backwards, Naruto tried to regain his bearings to think of a counterattack. Before he could though, Fujin had crossed the distance between himself and Naruto and swung his fist into Naruto's face. With a loud grunt, Naruto was sent further head over heels back, slamming into the wall of the ring. Grunting in pain, he tried to push himself back to his feet. Fujin, while his title definitely spoke true of his intelligence, was not dim enough to miss the opportunity that was presented before him now. Taking long strides forward, he was almost immediately standing before Naruto, he fist cocked back for a brief second before it was buried in Naruto's gut. Flecks of saliva erupted from Naruto's mouth as he coughed rapidly, his breath literally taken from him by the blow.

Fujin raised his other hand in the air in a sign of victory. "Nii-san! I won! I won!"

Raijin gave a loud whoop as he and Fujin raced to one another and gripped each other in a hug. "Twice the food!"

Fujin bounced on the balls of his feet happily. "Yay! Let's go eat nii-san!"

"Ugh…that was new."

Fujin and Raijin turned to where Naruto lay, watching as Naruto slowly pushed himself back to his feet. A trail of saliva dribbled down his chin, which he quickly wiped away. Rolling his head, he rubbed his neck to alleviate the pain from Fujin's first strike. Hacking a bit, he spit off to the side, wincing as he noticed a tint of red in his spit.

"Aw man, I think I bit my tongue." Naruto muttered awkwardly, sticking his finger into his mouth tentatively. Wincing several times as he poked and prodded in his mouth, he pulled his finger out and nodded. "Yep, definitely bit my tongue."

"Eh? Nii-san, is he allowed to do that?" Raijin asked.

Naruto grinned, sliding into another staring stance. "Let's see if we can do this again, the right way."

Rushing in a second time, he already knew that it wasn't going to work quite the same as the first time he'd rushed them. Both brothers were now aware that they were fighting, and had shifted into sloppy defensive stance. What set him apart from the brothers though, was that his planning skills were able to exceed 'punch, leave, and eat'.

Diving onto his stomach, he rolled to a crouch at the brother's feet, his fists clenched on either side of his hips. Turning in between them, he thrust his fists forwards with a twist, painfully burying his fists into their guts. Unlike the first time though, both of their eyes bugged out as their feet left the ground and they were launched upwards. They didn't go very far, but the fact that Naruto had gotten them off the ground got the crowd roaring once more; a mixture of confusion and excitement in every voice.

Picking themselves up, Raijin rubbed his gut. "Owie, what hit me?"

"Nii-san, I'm hungry." Fujin muttered, a pained expression on his faced. The blow to his stomach reminded him that he'd forgotten to eat before he'd come out.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, you guys look like you didn't stop eating before you came here. I haven't eaten in…" He turned to the announcer. "How long have I been in here? Two – three days? Has it really been that long?" Naruto scratched his head. "Oh burn me, I can't believe I lost track of time in here."

Fujin and Raijin stared at Naruto with horrified expressions, unable to fully comprehend what Naruto had just said. Slowly, Raijin turned to Fujin "N-nii-san. Did he say?"

"Three days, no food?" Fujin muttered. Hearing his stomach growl, his mind was easily brought back to previous thoughts. Without warning, he landed a painful looking uppercut to Naruto's jaw, roaring out in a primitive fashion. "FOOD!"

The crowd began banging and screaming louder when Naruto once again began to stir from what looked like a damaging blow. It only increased as Raijin launched himself into the air in an attempt to perform a pile driver and end the fight. Naruto, hearing the screams, pushed himself into a roll to scramble away from the colossal weight of the overweight man slamming onto the ground where he once lay. Undeterred by his brother's failure to hit Naruto, Fujin began stomping after Naruto. Naruto simply kept rolling for as long as he could, pushing himself further from Fujin's persistent attack. Before too long though, he found his back against the wall. With little else to do, Naruto fell back on an age old tactic; do something stupid, and pray to the log it works.

Getting his hands under him, he put as much of his strength as he could into getting back to his feet. To his delight, with a rush of air, he was quickly stumbling backwards and slightly away from Fujin. Fujin, his foot landing where Naruto had once been, looked down with wide eyes. "Who-wha-wha? Hey, where'd he go? Did he disappear? Or was he never there to begin with?" Hearing footstep rushing towards him, he turned. "Oh, there he is."

Naruto leapt into the air, leaning back slightly as he gripped either side of Fujin's vest tightly. Burying his feet into Fujin's gut, he straightened his back as he readied himself for his next strike. With a grunt of exertion, Naruto brought his forehead to Fujin's with a painful crack. There was a moment of perpetual silence. Then, a small trail of blood that came from both of their heads, punctuated by Fujin wobbling backwards and crashing to the ground.

"Fujin!" Raijin shouted. He barely had time to pick himself off the ground before Naruto had managed to get in front of him.

Naruto would later lament on his next course of action. He had a wide variety of taijutsu techniques he could have fallen back on to take out a larger opponent like Raijin. Even the headbutt would have been better in hindsight. However, with his head still ringing from beating a thick skull with his own, he didn't really think things through all the way. Which is why, for what would be considered one of his oddest victories, Naruto picked up a foot and slammed it as hard as he could between Raijin's legs. Like any other man would, Raijin's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fell flat on his face.

Every noise stopped as they stared at the scene, an underhanded tactic like that having never been seen in a final match like this before. Slowly though, someone started clapping. Like a wave, the clapping spread through the entire arena. Naruto rubbed his forehead, still in pain with the clapping not helping any.

"And the winner ladies and gentlemen," The announcer said with a flourish, leaping down to grab Naruto's arm and raise it into the air. "The new comer, Naruto-san!"

**-xxxxx-**

Naruto hissed as he slowly sat himself down nearly a half hour later. Gingerly rubbing his jaw, he sighed as he began opening his locker to get his stuff out. Exhausted from going on a three hour marathon of fighting, and having received several injuries throughout, he was more then happy to take a nice little break.

Looking at the five thousand yen in his hands, he groaned under his breath as he set the money on a shelf while he began to remove his clothes. While admittedly the money was a nice bonus, and the fight got his blood pumping, neither were why he'd come to the fight club. Pressing his hand against his jaw, he felt the sharp pain shook through his head like a searing hot knife. With a small hiss, he let his hand fall away. Slightly more awake, he felt his awareness enhance slightly.

Reaching into his locker, he gingerly lifted his shirt out. Despite how dangerous it was to keep them with himself, Naruto still had his spring-loaded kunai and shuriken holster hidden in either of the sleeves of his shirt. Strength notwithstanding, it never hurt to have an insurance policy just in case he was attacked.

Which was looking like a very real possibility at the moment. Heaving a heavy hearted sight, he glanced wearily over his shoulder. "What do you want?"

Behind him, three men stood stoically shoulder to shoulder as they stared him down. "You lost us a lot of money kid. We're just here to take what's ours."

Naruto gently cracked his neck, his shirt held loosely in his hands. "Really? And why would you need five thousand yen?"

"It's none of your business." A second man said, a scowl on his face. As he attempted to step forwards to confront him, the first man held him back. Snapping around to growl at him, he barked at him. "What are you doing? Isn't this why we came here?"

"No need to make a scene if we don't have too." The first man said slowly. Keeping his eyes on Naruto, he continued. "Now, if you don't mind, we want the money."

Naruto shrugged. "Sure."

"If you don't we'll have to…" The three men blinked in confusion. "Wait, what?"

"That's what you want me to say, isn't it?" Naruto muttered sharply. The three men shivered as the room suddenly felt colder. Turning to face them, the three men noticed that Naruto's hair was currently shadowing his eyes from view; something that increased their already nervous state. "But there's just one little problem with that. I don't like bullies, and I won't let anyone push me around because they think they have the upper hand." Lifting his head, his eyes narrowed as he stared them down. "Especially delusional crack heads like you."

Before the three of them could respond, a flash of red enveloped their vision. Weapons seemed to protrude from their bodies, with limbs strewn about from being violently ripped off as rage rolled off of Naruto. A second flash of light later and the three found themselves completely unharmed, albeit, they were mentally shaken by the experience.

Naruto looked the three over, contemplating what to do next. His threat had obviously been made, but he had no intention of fulfilling it for the time being; he was still tired and hungry. Grunting, he motioned to the door with his chin. "Beat your feet."

Not needing any other incentive they scrambled away, tripping over themselves and pulling each other back as they tried to get as far away from the demon that had stood before them. Naruto watched with no amount of amusement in his eyes. He hated using that technique, despite it usefulness. It was…morbid. It clashed with his style, and continuously reminded him that he was capable of such acts.

Pulling his shirt over his head, he groaned as he felt his ribs protesting the movement. While they didn't feel broken, the blow to his body had left a bruise, and would annoy him for quite some time. Pushing through the pain, he threw his duster on and gingerly placed his hat on his head. Slipping his money into the inner right side pocket of his duster, he silently slipped out of the room.

He'd barely made it three steps before he felt a hand on his shoulder. Slipping his kunai discreetly into his hand, he lazily rolled his head to look at the perpetrator. With a small sigh, he returned his kunai to its hiding spot in his sleeve.

"Oh, it's just you." He muttered.

"Well hello to you too Naruto-san." The person said, the voice distinctly female. She was dressed in a tightly closed trench coat that fell just past her knees, with high-heeled sandals that doubled as shin guards. "After all I did for you, that's your attitude?"

Naruto smiled lightly, his entire body relaxing at the lighthearted jest. "I'm sorry, I just…I've been having a rough couple of days."

The woman rolled her eyes. "No kidding. I'd say letting people beat the tar out of you for three days straight, against a hundred different people, with not breaks for food, and no sleep would do that." Giving Naruto a light poke, she smiled lightly. "Then again, I'm pretty sure that my little brother-in-law would do the same thing in a heartbeat if he heard you'd already done it."

"No he wouldn't; not unless he heard that I was the last guy he had to fight." Naruto said with a chuckle. "Beat a guy into the ground and mentally scar him once, and suddenly he wants a rematch every time he even thinks I'm in the area."

"Thank goodness he doesn't know you're here yet."

Naruto shook his head. "He's here. And so's Itachi."

At the mention of Itachi, the woman straightened considerably. "Itachi-kun's here? Here, here?"

"Yeah." Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You didn't sense him in the crowd? It's not like he was trying to hide."

"Uh, right." The woman crossed her arms defensively. "I totally sensed him."

"No you didn't." Naruto muttered. Stepping toward her, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Who are you and what have you done with Kasumi?"

Kasumi felt her eye twitching angrily. She was an excellent shinobi, and was more then assured of her skills in sensing and combat in general. To have someone insinuate that someone had the capability to impersonate her was insulting. "Oh, so you think someone could possibly impersonate me? Well impersonate this!" Clenching her fist, she launched Naruto into a nearby wall. To her surprise, Naruto quickly bounced back, and dusted himself off. Eye still twitching she deflated slightly. "Okay, how do you _always_ do that?"

"Hm? Oh this?" Naruto grinned, looking from the mark in the wall back to Kasumi. "You hit hard, but I've been hit harder."

"…right." Kasumi deadpanned, trying to imagine just how Naruto had to have been hit to simply shrug off hits like that.

Naruto ignored her skepticism, focusing on Kasumi. Letting his eyes grow distant, he appeared to be staring right through her. Still trying to imagine Naruto being bludgeoned, she nearly missed his thousand-yard-stare.

Too late, she attempted to stop him. "N-Naruto-san wait!"

Naruto shook his head, his eyes wide in awe. "Whoa, I wasn't expecting that."

"And you'll keep your mouth shut about it too." Kasumi said, puffing out her cheeks in aggravation. "I swear, it's impossible to surprise you when you use that."

"You'd be surprised." Naruto muttered. Yawning loudly, he winced as he felt his head bob slightly; an action that did not go unnoticed by Kasumi.

"Oh ho, it looks like I'm not the only one who's keeping secrets." Kasumi said with a grin. As she stepped closer, she began actively searching for what was wrong with Naruto. Since she hadn't done so before, she was genuinely surprised when she realized that there were several things off about him. His normally bright eyes were dulled, dark bags under his eyes making this more pronounced. His clothes, while generally thrown on hap hazardously, appeared slightly more disheveled then normal. She already knew she could blame it on his lack of sleep, however, she also knew that there was something else that was influencing said lack. "They're back, aren't they?"

Naruto said nothing, letting his eyes stare back into Kasumi's. She knew Naruto better then most other, being a confidant on a few occasions in the past after Naruto had literally crashed on her doorstep. She still didn't have all the details, but she knew what she what was wrong with Naruto at the moment, and it scared her that he'd come back to this state of mind.

Bad things tended to happen when Naruto was like this.

"I'm fine." Naruto muttered unconvincingly; though who he was trying to convince was anyone's guess. "I just can't give up until I'm through."

Kasumi looked him over, trying to understand what was going through his head. Already realizing that Naruto wasn't going to say another word about what was going through his head, she sighed in defeat. There were few things that were certain and stable regarding Naruto, and his resistance to anything and everything when he didn't want people to know something was practically legendary. Resigning herself, she pulled out a bag she'd hidden behind the door Naruto had come through.

"I got your winnings." Kasumi said, sliding it over to him. "I made sure to bet on you for every match." Giggling to herself, she leaned against the wall. "You'd think they'd learn to not to bet against you after the first ten rounds."

Naruto smirked, opening the bag and beginning to count how much they'd won. "No way they'd do that. I was fighting non stop for three days. Anyone else might've gotten tired and quit before the first day was over."

"Yeah, most people would've.' Kasumi muttered. Poking him gently, she circled him slowly. "How do you manage to stay on your feet for so long?"

"Everyone has their secrets." Naruto said with a smirk. Finishing his count of the money in the bag, he whistled softly. "Like how you could possibly get eighty-two thousand yen in three days, only by gambling."

"That's not much of a secret. I just made sure to bet on the guy who was sure to win, and then find all the suckers who were still too stupid to not bet on you." Kasumi said proudly. "Then again, it's not that hard to find the idiots. Just look for the ones who can't make eye contact."

While she smirked, taking different poses to accentuate her curves to get her point across, Naruto looked on in confusion. Hearing no sort of praise for her amazing plan, she slowly stopped posing. Seeing her settling down, he raised a hand like a kid in school. "Why can't they make eye contact?"

Kasumi's mouth opened and closed slowly. "I…you…" Placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder, she made sure he was looking her in the eye. "Okay, you're looking me in the eye, right?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah."

"Good. Now, I want you to try keeping eye contact with me." Kasumi said, slowly unbuttoning her trench coat. With each button, she unveiled more of her clothes underneath; a mesh shirt and short blue skirt, the modesty of her upper body protected only barely by her coat. When she'd finally unbuttoned the coat all the way though, Naruto's eyes hadn't strayed from her eyes once. Frustrated, she turned away. "It figures you'd be one of those guys I wouldn't make a bet with. You're good at focusing; it's what would make you a good shinobi if you'd been in Kumo or Suna."

"If you say so." Naruto said unsurely. He had no idea what had just happened, but he felt like he'd somehow missed the big picture on whatever Kasumi was trying to teach him.

"Alright then, enough fun and games. We need to meet up with Itachi-kun and Sasuke-chan." Kasumi said cheerily. Skipping down the hall, she glanced over her shoulder. "You know where we're going to meet at?"

Naruto nodded. "The Nejibana hotel. We meet at that hotel whenever we're in the same city." Cracking his neck, he grinned in a feral manner. "And whatever they're here for, it's bound to be loads of fun."

* * *

><p>AN: Okay, so I wrote another chapter to this. I just felt inspired, buckled down, and cranked it out.<p>

I also do belive it is possible to have too much fun writing Itachi and Sasuke; especially since I altered their personalities a bit for my AU. Sasuke just feels so...right, acting childish and whiney. Of course, it helps that he's had practice in cannon, but that's redundant seeing as he's complaining about mistakes _he's_ making, and not really just blaming other people for it. He still has much, so very much, to learn, but that's just character development waiting to happen (insert creatively witty evil laugh here).

The Lee scene...came from no where. I swear, he was going to show up in the next chapter to help give Naruto some more character flesh, until I realized I could have some fun with Lee. Seriously, we've seen him unconcious and still fighting before. Someone trying to make him 'not think' (something I'm not sure he does much anyways) would just make things harder for themselves. Plus, it's Lee. If he lost to some not-combat oriented chunin, I'd have trouble keeping from laughing. Of course...you never know with me.

And Raijin and Fujin made a cameo appearance to fight Naruto. Why? I dunno, writting Mizuki reminded me they exist. Plus, the Nappa lines simply had to be put in.

For those of you who misssed it, Naruto's got some _new_ issues to deal with. As for what they are...take a wild guess. They'll give me stuff to throw around for other characters while I continue with how Naruto's new past has shapped him. I've been playing my cards in Word of Honor rather well, and I plan to use the expereience to work this story into the masterpiece I want to make of it. Which means I'm going to have to hurt and possibly even break Naruto...and Sasuke...and Lee...and pretty much all the characters I love. It'll be for the best.

Oh! And try guessing what the prize really is. I want to see if anyone else shares my interestingly sharp method of planting plot twists.

Until next chapter, Guru out.


End file.
